Ian Wright Named Man Utd Hardman He 'Didn't Like at All' During His Career

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Ian Wright enjoyed a blossoming Premier League career but he's named one 'hard man' he didn't like facing during his career

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Arsenal and Premier League legend Ian Wright revealed one star he 'didn't like at all' during his time at Highbury, even throughout the Gunners' most successful era in the top flight.

Manchester United icon Roy Keane struggled to win Wright over. The Irishman spent 16 years playing in the top flight of English football, including 14 seasons in the Premier League, where he won seven league titles alongside numerous individual honours.

Among those achievements were five PFA Team of the Year selections, the PFA Team of the Century award, and the PFA Players' Player of the Year prize in 2000, which helped earn him a place in the Hall of Fame.

However, his combative nature on the pitch created a rival in Wright, who admitted that he 'didn't like him at all' whenever the pair went head-to-head.

Speaking in 2021, the Arsenal great explained that while he now regards Keane as a friend through their work together in punditry, their relationship was very different during their playing days . Wright openly admitted that he 'didn't like Keane at all', saying via the Daily Mail:

> "People have to understand that Roy Keane is just an honest man. What I like about Roy Keane is that I see him as my friend. We go and we talk about some serious things. > > "I see him as my friend now, but like I say, when we played I didn’t like him. I didn’t like him at all. > > "I remember when I won my Premier League medal, when the camera came in I remember saying "Roy Keane winners' medal", because Roy Keane one time said to me: 'Wrighty, you’ve got a cabinet full of losers medals'. > > "You know the thing about it is, it’s the kind of comment I would have said to him if the shoe was on the other foot. But when he said it, it hurts you but I was laughing deep down because it’s a killer, it finishes you, bam. > > "Even when I reminded him, he said: 'Nah, I didn’t say that.' I said 'Roy, it’s not something you forget!'"

The most famous on-pitch rivalry between United and Arsenal was arguably Keane's long-running feud with Gunners midfielder Patrick Vieira .

Roy Keane's Career Statistics

- Premier League/First Division: 440 appearances, 90 goal contributions - FA Cup: 63 appearances, 8 goal contributions - League Cup: 30 appearances, 6 goal contributions - Champions League: 82 appearances, 20 goal contributions - UEFA Cup: 2 appearances, 0 goal contributions

Tunnel confrontations, fierce challenges and memorable clashes between the midfield leaders of both sides helped create the iconic rivalry between the teams managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger , intensifying the hostility during their trophy-filled years around the turn of the century.

Keane, one of the most renowned hardmen in Premier League history, was named second in our list of hardest footballers in the competition's 34-year era , behind only Scotland and Everton star Duncan Ferguson - and his aggressive approach was bound to create plenty of opponents on the pitch, particularly because of his success with the Red Devils.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Roy Keane had 13 red cards throughout his playing career.

Thankfully, it appears that Wright and Keane have since repaired their relationship, having worked together while covering some of football's biggest international tournaments.

Ian Wright is a much-loved pundit now - but the ex-Arsenal striker was once a fiercely competitive individual who 'hated' two fellow professionals.

They also regularly appear on Sky's The Overlap and Stick to Football podcasts - although there is no escaping the fact that Keane's behaviour on the pitch once turned him into an enemy of his current co-star.

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt . Correct as of 01-10-26.

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