Former Man Utd star reveals he was subject of infamous Roy Keane story: 'That kid was me'
Former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi has opened up on a story from Roy Keane's autobiography, revealing he was the mystery player the Irishman spoke about. As Keane told it, Rossi narrowly avoided a slap after glaring at United's captain.
Rossi was just 18 when Keane left United, so will have still been in his teens when the incident took place. And the Italian international, who retired in 2023, has opened up on the incident.
'Keane wrote that one time in training he had told off a young Italian player for not passing him the ball and this young lad replied with a strong glare, a challenge," Rossi told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "If that kid had said something, he would've got a slap, but he was silent and his gaze spoke volumes. So he walked over to shake his hand.
'Well, that kid was me. And I don't remember it at all! Evidently I was in a trance and my determination to create a career was absolute.'
Rossi had a nomadic career after leaving Old Trafford, playing in Italy, Spain and the United States. The American-born star, who won 30 caps for Italy, also reflected on working under Sir Alex Ferguson during his time in English football.
'He was a surprise, because he was an austere person, but also affectionate and attentive, a paternal figure who knew how to treat young players like gems," Rossi said. "He would protect and motivate them to help them grow as both people and players, with precise values and rules.
'In training, it was like another sport to what I was accustomed to, this brutal pace and intensity. There were no friends in training, lots of shoves, kicks, aggression. I quickly realised what I had to do to earn respect in that squad. I was physically behind the rest, so I had to make do with technique and intelligence.'
Rossi wasn't the only United newcomer to fall afoul of Keane towards the end of the captain's time in Manchester. Gabriel Heinze joined in the same summer as Rossi, back in 2004, and claimed to have been sparked out by Keane early in his spell with the club.
"The first thing you hear in English or in another language are bad words," Heinze, who recently joined Arsenal's coaching staff, said in 2022. "He (Keane) was looking at me and he says to me: "F*** off!" And I knew that was a dirty word.
"I stood up and the guy comes over to me. C'mon, I was only a kid. So I repeated it back to him, I said "f*** off you!. Then I don't remember anything else..."
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