Manchester United supporters adored Roy Keane during his playing career and the Irishman is equally revered as a pundit. It was never a career that Keane wanted to explore, but he's become the star of the industry for his honesty and forthright nature.
Although Keane said in 2008 that he would 'rather go to the dentist' than become a pundit, while he also claimed that analysts in TV studios are 'brainwashing' fans on matchdays, it's the profession which he's been most suited to after retiring and turning away from management. It's also a profession in which he's really excelled and that has extended his popularity with the neutral punter.
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He speaks with no filter and that is the endearing trait which has made him Sky Sports' most cherished asset for punditry on matchday. Keane is box-office and he's considered TV gold, but he was on punditry duty for United's match against Chelsea on Saturday evening and he got it awfully wrong about the biggest pre- and post-match talking point: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo refused to come on against Tottenham last week before he returned to the dressing room early and his unprofessional tantrum overshadowed the best performance of Erik ten Hag's tenure. That prompted Ten Hag to make him train on his own, while the Dutchman also banished him from the squad to play Chelsea.
Such is Ronaldo's standing in the game, his tantrum was the talking point when it should have been the performance against Spurs and it was not a surprise to see the discussion about his conduct continue in the Sky Sports studio at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Keane was asked for his opinion about Ronaldo in the pre-match build-up and his comments were proof that he can get it badly wrong. "Obviously the manager made the decision to leave him out. He's disappointed that Ronaldo didn't want to go on, even if it was the 87th minute, and the fact that he walked down the tunnel, he's obviously been punished for it," Keane told Sky Sports.
"But I try to see it from the player's point of view, he's obviously had enough, he's lost his head and I think it's been brewing for the last few weeks with Ronaldo. I will still try to defend him, I still think he's a human being and he's got flaws.
"He feels frustrated that he's not been getting opportunities and he's had enough and he's walked down the tunnel. I think players have done a lot worse things at Manchester United. I think it happens, it's human nature.
"But he has to take his punishment. Is there a way back for him? I'm not sure. I still think Ronaldo's behaviour over the last week, I'd be more worried if he was sitting on the bench every week laughing his head off and not caring. I think the guy cares."
Although Keane is loved as a pundit, the unanimous consensus on Saturday was that his comments were wide of the mark. Ronaldo's actions last week at Old Trafford were indefensible and yet here he was, trying to defend the player.
Ronaldo does care and he wants to play, of course, but there is no justification for refusing to be substituted on and walking down the tunnel early. It was disrespectful to his teammates, Ten Hag and United as a club.
There has been a dangerous culture of player power that has manifested at Old Trafford over the last decade and pundits, some of whom are considered United legends, have regularly insisted the club's managers should always be backed. Yet here was Keane, who previously accused United's players of throwing Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer under the proverbial bus, defending Ronaldo when Ten Hag has done the right thing. There should be no player that is above the manager's authority.
Ten Hag is set for talks with Ronaldo on Monday before he's reintegrated into the first-team squad, but it seems best for both parties to devise a strategy for an amicable divorce. If Ronaldo does not leave in January, it will be a long wait for the summer.
His fairytale return to Old Trafford is almost certainly set for an unsatisfactory end.
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