England Star ‘Battered’ Premier League Player Roy Keane Avoided

Matthew Guyett is a journalist for GiveMeSport, covering news and features primarily focused on the Premier League and European football.

He graduated from the University of Essex in 2022 with a Creative Writing degree before joining GiveMeSport as a freelancer in August 2024.

Matthew began his writing career with Sportskeeda in 2022, working for their European football team for nearly three years, where he covered news, transfers, match reports, and fan reactions. He became one of their most widely read writers, and his work has garnered over 25 million reads, including a viral story that garnered 724,000 reads.

Sign in to your GiveMeSport account

The name Roy Keane often sent shivers down opposition players' spines because of his aggressive style of play and never-say-die attitude.

During his time in England with Manchester United, Keane battled it out with some of the fiercest competitors in Premier League history. The Irishman locked horns with Patrick Vieira and wasn't afraid to butt heads with managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson.

For many players of his generation, the former United captain is the toughest opponent they come up against. But that's not to say there aren't other hardmen who could slug it out and one of them might have been even more frightening than Keane.

If you look up the word 'feisty' in the dictionary you're bound to see an image of former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson. The six-foot-four inch Scotsman used his imposing frame to frighten defenders, and he wore battle scars throughout his career.

Keane very rarely pulled out of a duel with any opponent, but Ferguson proved to be an anomaly. Speaking back in 2014, he admitted he often tried to stay out of the Toffees hero's way:

“I used to stay away from him. We’re talking about characters earlier and he’s certainly that. He was a top, top player and he’s obviously been promoted up the last two or three weeks to work with the first-team and no doubt the strikers at Everton will learn a lot from him."

Those comments came when Ferguson served as a coach at Everton, offering his experience to younger players who looked to follow in his footsteps. He might have steered clear of letting them know about the dark arts he often got up to, having ended his career with seven red cards at club level.

Keane understandably didn't want to deal with the Scot given his willingness to throw fists. But his punditry colleague Micah Richards was surprised: "Roy Keane let me down... I was watching clips and Roy walked away from a confrontation with him. I was like, how hard are you really then?"

One of Ferguson's most infamous sending offs came in 2006 when he punched Wigan Athletic defender Paul Scharner in the stomach. Before leaving the pitch, he even grabbed Jimmy Bullard by the neck and the comedic Englishman later joked that his grip was so tight he thought his head was coming off.

Ferguson did a lot of damage on the pitch, whether that be using his fists or finding the back of the net. Given his aggressive nature, it's unsurprising to learn that he has taken up boxing as a pastime both during and after his career.

There aren't many footballers who'd be brave enough to step up to Ferguson, but Anthony Gordon did just that while a youngster at Goodison Park. The England international, now flying at Barcelona, not only boxed the Scot, but seemingly bettered him.

Ferguson revealed in ‘Big Dunc: The Upfront Autobiography’:

“He battered me once in the Finch Farm (Everton training ground) gym. I had a pair of boxing gloves on, he didn’t. And I didn't do it again. Anthony’s a bright lad, knows what he wants and is dedicated and lightning quick.”

Ferguson evidently felt the full force of this during their time sparring, and it would have been interesting to see Gordon playing during the former Everton striker's era. He embodies the gritty, passionate brand of football played at that time.