Roy Keane made contract ‘mistake’ which saw him nearly join one of Man Utd’s rivals

Manchester United icon Roy Keane has lifted the lid on a contract blunder that nearly diverted his path to Blackburn Rovers instead of the Theatre of Dreams. Keane became a United stalwart after transferring from Nottingham Forest in 1993.

He's now revealed the twist of fate that could have seen him donning the colours of Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn due to a contract snag and a tiff with then-Forest boss Brian Clough.

Reflecting on some of the "daft" things he did back in his playing days, Keane explained on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, how he nearly missed out on the United transfer altogether.

"I was learning my trade but before I knew it, I was in the Irish squad and had played about 110-120 games [professionally]. I was getting a foundation to my career," Keane began.

"I went through a rollercoaster of losing the FA Cup final in my first year [with Nottingham Forest], second season, United beat us in the League Cup final, and in my third season we'd got relegated and I'd just signed a new deal a few months earlier and was starting to learn the business side of football."

Without an agent, a young Keane found himself in a pay dispute with legendary manager Clough, who accused the Forest coach of being "greedy". Keane, whose career started at Cobh Ramblers in Cork, shared how he not only faced immense pressure over a new deal at Forest, but also insisted on handling his contract himself, which included the crucial clause that nearly derailed his move to United.

"At Forest, I did the contract myself and made sure to include a clause because it looked like we were going to get relegated," he continued. "There was a lot of pressure on me at the time, as a young player, and Brian Clough was saying that I was being greedy, but I'd been on the same money for around two-and-a-half-years. I'd been playing for Ireland and playing week-in-week-out [for Forest] and was on £700-£800 a week.

"So, when they said that they'd like me to sign a new deal, I stuck to my guns and said that I want £250,000 - Brian Clough said that they couldn't give me that money. But when it came to that contract situation, I remember thinking that I wasn't budging. I did okay for the club and wanted £250,000. I got it in the end and put a clause in that said if we got relegated, I could leave for £3.5million.

"The mistake I made was that I would go for £3.5million, but after the 1st of September, which was after the European deadline. That's why United had to give the extra bit [of money] to get the deal done. Blackburn offered £4 million, so I nearly signed there."

Keane, with an impressive tally of 114 appearances under his belt for Forest, also spoke about meeting football legend Kenny Dalglish while negotiating terms for possibly joining Blackburn. He disclosed that Forest had given Dalglish's team a head start in the transfer negotiations as they had presented the highest bid for the then-young Irish international.

"I signed my deal at Nottingham Forest, and we obviously got relegated, so during the summer I met with Blackburn and Kenny Dalglish they agreed a £4million deal with Forest. Nottingham Forest were delighted because Blackburn were giving the £500,000 extra, they didn't want to wait until 1st of September [for my release clause] as they wanted me for pre-season," Keane said.

The ex-Ireland skipper also confessed that he requested a pay rise if he were to transfer to Blackburn, aiming to match Alan Shearer's salary at the club. He accepted the offer, but a delay over the weekend altered the course of Keane's career forever.

"I was on £250,000 at Forest and Kenny said that they could give me £400,000. I think I initially asked for £500,000 because I heard Shearer was on that," Keane admitted. "It was a nice pay rise, and I was sitting in an office and said, "Okay, I'll do the deal.

"It was a Friday evening and they [Blackburn] said that the people in the office are gone so we can't draw the contract up, so I got a flight back home and said we'd sort it next week."

Keane then recounted the pivotal moment Sir Alex Ferguson swooped in to hijack his Blackburn move, sharing the tale of how a celebratory night out in Cork was followed by a call from the legendary United manager. "I flew back to Cork, went out the Saturday night and had a good time because I was going to Blackburn and getting a nice pay rise. Sunday morning I'm in bed, not in great form, my mother comes up and says that Alex Ferguson is on the phone for you," Keane explained.

"He said that he'd been trying to speak to me, and I said that I'd agreed to go to Blackburn. Alex Ferguson asked if I'd signed anything, I didn't, so he asked me to meet him. I flew to Manchester on the Monday to meet him, went to Ferguson's house."

He admitted he was taking a gamble by even considering Ferguson's offer, as he had no agent to advise him and was aware it could scupper his move to Rovers. "I had to take a step back and realise that I should at least speak to United. This was all with no agent and I was also jeopardising the Blackburn deal," Keane said.

The tug-of-war for his signature dragged on, forcing him to return to pre-season training with Forest while United haggled over the fee, reluctant to meet Blackburn's bid. The plot then thickened when Keane got some help with the contract negotiations.

Despite being closer to signing for Dalglish's Blackburn, with a tempting £400,000 on the table compared to United's £300,000, an eleventh-hour twist from the Red Devils put Keane at a crossroads. "I eventually got someone to help me with the contracts. Blackburn said they'd give me £400,000 and United at the time were at £300,000. United were saying that they could get a deal done with Forest, so to bear with them, but I was jeopardising the deal with Blackburn," Keane said.

In an unlikely developement, former Leeds United manager David O'Leary played a pivotal role in guiding Keane towards Old Trafford, by introducing him to a savvy London-based solicitor. This expert advice proved crucial for Keane's career trajectory.

"I remember being away with the international team and speaking to some of the players, explaining that Blackburn had offered me £400,000 but United were at £300,000. David O'Leary was there and said that I could use Michael Kennedy, a solicitor in London who'd done all his contracts," Keane recalled.

"I rang him that evening, explained the situation and asked him to speak to Martin Edwards for me and he got back to me the next day and said that United will go to £350,000. I said I'd go to United."

Keane went on to make 326 appearances for United, netting 33 goals. During his tenure under Sir Alex Ferguson, Keane clinched seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, four Community Shields and the Champions League in 1999 and was a key part of the club's legendary treble-winning season.