Roy Keane may be remembered as a tough guy during his professional career, but his gesture to Tim Howard at Manchester United proves that even the Irishman has a heart of gold.
We all know Keane as the tough tackling, no nonsense midfielder that has kept up his ruthless view on the game as a regular television pundit. But behind the hardened Irishman is a man who cares more than anyone, according to Howard.
When Howard was signed by United he left behind everything he knew in the United States, with only his wife joining him in England. But despite being a new face around the training camp, Keane once offered Howard to join him for dinner when his wife headed back to the States temporarily.
Most Premier League opposition players were scared of Keane, although Patrick Vieira may be an exception to the rule. But even Keane's team-mates were frightened of him, as Howard admitted he was petrified of the former United captain while he was still at Old Trafford.
Howard moved to United from the MLS in 2003, and had to adapt to life in England very quickly. The American was joined by his wife, but was all alone at times as she travelled back to visit family.
Keane picked up on this, and offered Howard to join him for dinner during this time, as the former goalkeeper opened up on his admiration for the Irishman on Ben Foster's Fozcast. "When you talk about one standout player, never saw it before, never saw it again. Roy Keane as a captain was just cut from a different cloth," Howard said.
"He was the epitome of a captain, putting the club first, always competing and always caring, I still lean on him all the time and text with him. I mean he was a savage, a brilliant footballer but you couldn't care more than him.
"Like most players, I was definitely afraid of him, but I've learned that he's just an amazing human being. But I used to be afraid of him, I remember to begin in training he would lay into me.
"And when I first moved my wife went back to the United States briefly and I was on my own for a week, and he asked if I wanted to come over and have some dinner with him."
However, despite the kind offer, Howard couldn't bring himself to accept it as he admitted that he was scared of the former United captain. "I just made an excuse not to go, I was like 'there is no way I'm having dinner at your house, I am frightened to death of you'," Howard added.
"But this is what I'm saying, he just cares, he cares a lot." Keane is always spoken about by his former team-mates and held in such high regard, and with gestures like this behind the scenes, it's no surprise.
