CROCODILE TEARS

“Roy will go on to be a manager, there is no question about that. He is very driven, a great influence and very determined. When I look at that, I can see myself in Roy and Roy in me.

“He was fantastic to me, without question the best player I had. But I see him now going on to the next stage in his career and that is becoming a manager.

“When you have guys who have given you such fantastic service it is so tough when the time comes to say goodbye. It was time to go, it was time to part — and the problem is you fall in love with your players because of what they’ve done with you.

“Players almost become like family but when you get to that age then you have to make that terrible decision and change things. That’s because the club is the most important thing of all.

“Age worries every player because when they’re getting older, they’re coming closer to the end. Then it’s the stage where the last day comes and they have to leave. I’ve had to rebuild a team maybe four or five times.

“You have to decide when it is time to change and we’ve been going through that lately.”

If Fergie really was treating Keane like family then he’d have given him a pay rise and a contract until 2015.