Shots fired after Keane called masseuses ‘cocky’
(Image: (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images))
Roy Keane has been branded a “bully” by a former Manchester United physio – after the Cork man claimed that they were “scavengers in the dressing room.”
The former Red Devils captain took aim at some of the club’s staff, where he accused them of trying to “run the show”. But Rod Thornley, who worked for United for 19 years under Sir Alex Ferguson, has suggested that the Irishman’s rant was a personal attack aimed at him after the pair fell out.
Keane is still renowned for his old school values and throughout his time as captain in Manchester was known for keeping standards high. He also wouldn’t shy away from speaking his mind if he felt it was in the team’s best interests.
But he seemed to have little time for the physios or the masseuses as he claimed “they’d get a bit cocky”, accusing them of trying to buy players’ cars on the cheap and “wearing their headphones as if they were players”.
(Image: Getty)
Thornley, who left United in 2019, hit back as he told The Busby Way podcast: “I witnessed him (Keane) bully people many a time. He went on about masseuses and buying players’ cars. He sold his car to the caretaker at Man United. So like, I can’t buy one off a player, but you can sell it to a member of staff.”
He blasted: “All the things he said were just bulls***, just aimed trying to hurt me. I then got abused online massively and it affected me mentally. It just was f***ing horrible. It’s typical him – bullying someone. That’s what Roy Keane’s about a lot of the times.”
Thornley also labelled Keane a “hypocrite” for allowing his daughter Caragh on to The Overlap to promote her breakfast cereal brand, the Mirror reports.
Keane aired his own frustrations with and masseuses way back in June 2024 when he said: “What used to annoy me was the lads who used to do the massages, they’d get a bit cocky. They settle into the club then they think they’re running the show, have got the music on and the team wins something, and all the masseurs would be on the pitch.
“We’re having a night out, free bar, and then they’d come with all their mates. Then they’d be wearing their headphones as if they were players, coming off the bus. Anyone selling their car?’ – they’d try and buy the players’ cars on the cheap.
“They hang around and get players’ boots. They end up having loads of boots and the lads’ trainers – scavengers in the dressing room.”
Want to see more of the biggest and breaking stories from Cork Beo? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Cork Beo as a preferred source, simply click here.