Roy Keane enforced one strict training rule over Manchester United team-mates

Darren Fletcher has provided insight over how strict ‘ultimate leader’ Roy Keane was with the Manchester United squad.

The legendary Red Devils captain led by example on and off the pitch throughout his career — and insisted his team-mates matched his high standards.

That, unsurprisingly, extended to training, according to Fletcher, who claimed the Irishman forced his team-mates to turn up at least 45 minutes early for training in order to ‘mentally prepare’ for sessions.

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Darren Fletcher has revealed Roy Keane used to make his Manchester United team-mates turn up at least 45 minutes early for training. Pic: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Fletcher, who rose through the ranks at United’s academy, broke into the first team in 2003, and went onto make over 220 appearances for the club.

The Scot told the The Lockdown Tactics how Keane, who would leave Old Trafford in 2005, introduced the rule to ensure players were ready for each session.

‘I loved the guy and he was the ultimate leader,’ the midfielder said. ‘The manager used to say to me “watch the first-team players on the pitch and watch them off the pitch”.

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Roy Keane, Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes in action during a Manchester Unitedd training session at Carrington on January 14, 2004. Pic: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

‘You know what it’s like in the dressing room when you’re quiet and you’re young and most young lads would go in the dressing room and couldn’t wait to get out, I used to sit and enjoy being in there.

‘Although it was speak when you’re spoken to at the beginning, I was watching, learning, how these guys thought, how they prepared, how they talked, their mindset I was learning from all of them.

‘Roy Keane was the ultimate leader and captain, an unbelievable player and the preparation for training, he was the one who brought in this you come in 45 minutes before training.

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Roy Keane was a feared figure in his playing days, and had a massive say on his team-mates in training over otherwise. Pic: Getty

‘You mentally prepare for training, how you train, how you go about your day, how you face up to challenges, what it is to be a Manchester United player.’

Keane’s departure at the club came after he criticised a string of his team-mates, including Fletcher, on the club’s official TV channel MUTV.

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Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher described Roy Keane as the ‘ultimate leader and captain’ who gave everything in training and on matchday. Pic: Sky Sports

‘He was hard on you, coming to a meeting on time wasn’t good enough, you had to be five, 10 minutes early, being late was not even a question,’ Fletcher added.

‘Testing you all the time, but it was coming from the right place because he recognised that you were capable and you could handle it, and he just wanted you to know that this is what it means to be a Manchester United player and I’m thankful for that because it allows you to have a long career in the game.

‘Sometimes you might think “oh my god he’s hard on me” but people don’t see the other side, the nine out of 10 times where he’s given you a compliment and he’s pulled you and he’s maybe just said, “well done today, son”.

‘But people didn’t want to tell those stories about Roy Keane or players in the dressing room because they’re not good stories to tell, people want to tell about the times where he has a go at you or he’s hard on you, because they’re better stories to tell and it fits into the Roy Keane character.’