Roy Keane went too far and 'crossed the line' mocking Man Utd player on Sky Sports
Roy Keane has admitted his criticism of Harry Maguire "crossed the line" and revealed he reached out to the Manchester United defender to apologise.
Maguire has come in for plenty of criticism in recent years after a dip in form at Old Trafford that saw him stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag and Keane was among those who criticised him in his role as a pundit with Sky Sports.
However, the former United captain has now admitted he went too far with some of his comments about Maguire. Speaking on the Stick to Football show, brought to you by Sky Bet, Keane said: "I was harsh on Harry Maguire.
"You hope to keep it to footballing reasons and obviously we cover a lot of Manchester United matches and he was struggling at the time. But you also think about the mental health of players and I definitely crossed the line with Maguire.
"I remember one time I kind of mocked him a little bit and that is definitely out of order. I crossed the line and listen, I played the game, I know it's not easy. But I'm also big enough that I apologised to him. Sometimes we pundits get it wrong too."
Keane's comments came after former Arsenal striker Ian Wright hit out at the criticism which has been aimed at Maguire. "The way Harry has been treated [has been personal] – if we really think about the critique of the players, it's the volume of which it comes, you can't get away from it," he said.
"I look at Harry, the memes, the GIFS, and everything, and I've watched how he plays, everybody makes mistakes. I've not seen Harry do anything that makes me go, 'What's going on? How is this guy even playing?'
Harry Maguire
"What's happened is that people have been taking the mick out of this guy so relentlessly that you're genuinely waiting for him to do anything. Now, even if he misplaces something, he's getting hammered. It's [the criticism] a totally different level [to the other players]."
Maguire was named in Gareth Southgate's provisional England squad for Euro 2024, but he did not make the final cut due to an injury. "Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf," he said.
"Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. "Simply, I am absolutely gutted. For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can't help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it, boys."
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