Gordon Strachan reveals the Roy Keane reaction to Celtic sub role as Man Utd icon's answer and reaction didn't match

The Irish legend had a six-month spell in the east end of Glasgow but had no guarantees of a start.

Gordon Strachan has revealed how he had to tell Manchester United legend Roy Keane he would be a SUB when he completed his stunning Celtic transfer.

The Irishman’s Parkhead switch sent a seismic shock through Scottish football when he moved to the east end of Glasgow on an 18-month deal in December 2005 but had to retire six months later, although he contributed to a league and cup double for his boyhood heroes.

Strachan was the man in charge at the time and Keane said in his autobiography that he made the move to SPITE the then Celtic boss as he never really wanted him. Now Strachan, speaking to sweep.io, has told of Keane’s reaction at telling him he’d struggle to get in his XI. He said: “I used to play with two wingers and a forward player that would come back in and drop off the main striker, so I had no idea how I was going to fit him in there. I had to speak to Roy Keane and tell him that he wasn't going to be starting.

“The conversation started with us just staring at each other over the table, and I was genuinely so excited to have him at Celtic with me and I was never interested in the circumstances as to why he left Manchester United. So I was honest with him and I said, 'Listen, it's great having you here, but if I'm picking a team tomorrow, you aren't in it.’ Without hesitation, he said he was absolutely fine with that, even though I could see he absolutely wasn't okay with that. But I have to say that I got on tremendously well with Roy and I still do to this day if we do TV work together. I find myself gravitating towards him.

"Roy trained with us a bit before the transfer window because he had been let go by Manchester United, so he got to know the lads for a fair period of time before he officially signed. Roy was a different kettle of fish, because you're talking about a world class player. When it became apparent that we could sign Roy Keane, I was amazed and thought it was magnificent. But I had a problem; we were unbeaten in so many games and I had [Neil] Lennon and [Stiliyan] Petrov in the middle of the park.”

In his autobiography, Keane said: “I met Gordon Strachan in London at Dermot Desmond’s house. Gordon told me ‘I’m not really worried if you sign for us or not. We’re okay without you’. So I said to myself ‘F*** him, I’m signing’. I think it was one of the reasons I signed for Celtic - to prove Gordon wrong.”

Earlier this week, Keane had said how some of the things at Celtic shocked him. He said: “You talk about getting a shock, I remember when I went to Celtic – it’s this iconic, amazing club.

"But I leave United and the stadium (Celtic Park) is amazing, but I hadn’t really seen the training ground. I am going back a few years, they have a good one now, but I was in the dressing room at Celtic and they go to the dressing room to get changed, and I had been at United; but you change at Celtic Park and drive to the training ground in your boots and your gear.

“Three or four of us would drive in the car and usually it was f****** raining up there, we would train and then all get back in the car and drive back. All of a sudden you are thinking, ‘this is different’.”