Roy Keane claims Dwight Yorke made his job easier at Sunderland after helping guide the Black Cats to promotion. The former Republic of Ireland international was appointed manager at the Stadium of Light with the Wearsiders in the Championship relegation zone.
The former Manchester United duo would reunite on Wearside as Sunderland paid around £200,000 for the striker who was playing for Sydney FC at the time. Keane has revealed how he talked York into signing for the Black Cats, leaving his Sydney penthouse behind.
The former Red Devils striker would score five times in 33 appearances for Keane and was a big part in the dressing room. Keane pinpoints Yorke's effect on the Sunderland dressing room as one of the factors that made his job easier.
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Speaking on The Mackem Miracle, Keane said: "Towards the end of his career, Yorke had the reputation as a bit of a party animal but I knew Yorke love the game. I knew he loved the game of football, he was passionate about the game. Ok, he had his other distractions, he liked a night out and all that other carry on but so what.
"He was over in Sydney and obviously he was their franchise player. I remember ringing him from the training ground - I'm not sure on the time difference but I rang him and it was pretty bleak. I remember looking out the window at the training ground, I think on a good day at Sunderland it's pretty bleak, I think the average winds were about 80mph.
"I rang him, I said 'Yorkey do you fancy coming to Sunderland?' He said 'Are you serious?' and I said yeah. He had a penthouse on Sydney Harbour but I said that would always be there, you can always go back to that. I said we've got a big challenge here but I knew deep down he loved the game and I knew he fancied the challenge.
"I knew he'd lighten the mood, the players would like him, the staff loved him because he was coming in on the morning and always seemed happy. He was the opposite to me. I knew he would be a big help and the players loved him.
"I think I knew all the players that came in, I'd had some experience of working with them before as players at club level, international level or at Celtic. They came in and they made my job a lot easier let me tell you."
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