Jason McAteer has admitted he is willing to pay £1m to settle his long-running feud with former Manchester United captain Roy Keane.
The former Reds midfielder played for the Republic of Ireland alongside Keane. However, they clashed in 2002 when McAteer played for Sunderland. Keane was sent off for elbowing McAteer at the Stadium of Light, but the Sky Sports pundit recently denied any wrongdoing. This prompted McAteer to react during his time at beinSPORT. He said he knew what “buttons” he could push to frustrate Keane.
However, McAllister wants this incident to be a thing of the past, but if not, a boxing match could be arranged, as suggested by Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn. McAteer said: “We are athletes and elite athletes and we do everything we can to win. All the top athletes – cricketers call it sledding, basketball players, hockey players, footballers call it bullshit.“I knew what buttons to push that day and I knew if we won the game it would be up to him to take on Roy Keane, one of the greatest players of all time.
I knew I could get inside his head.“We had an argument in the middle of the park, his book had just been published and he insulted me again. I was a little offended by his words. He told me what he was going to do during the accident and I said, “Put it in the next book.” The world saw him elbowing me and telling me that I didn’t do it, that it wasn’t right.
But I deserved it. It tastes salty. I wish he would come here now and let bygones be bygones. Let’s be polite. Or they could enter the ring and win for £1m each. Eddie, look. Eddie Hearn, call him. Roy, come on, you’re better than that. And I will not answer again.”
