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With Arsenal hosting Manchester United this weekend, it will surely be considered a huge match up as the two rival clubs go head-to-head in a bid to outplay – as well as outclass – one another.

However, there is a third team, that could go unnoticed when the pair meet and that is the injured XI, consisting of a host of United and Gunners stars whom may be unable to take part.

We have created a rather scary looking combined injured XI with some of the mentioned names very likely to be on the sidelines cheering for their respective sides.

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CLICK ON MESUT OZIL TO SEE THE FULL LIST

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Goalkeeper

Name: David De Gea

Age: 24

Nationality: Spain

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Finger

Both clubs have an injured goalkeeper each with David De Gea still a doubt whist David Ospina is also not likely to feature. However, the Spanish keeper is probably Manchester United’s most consistent player and, should he be unavailable, the entire squad will surely suffer. Latest speculation suggest he might be able to start against the Gunners, but even if he does play, we will know he isn’t fully fit due to his recent dislocated finger.

Right Back

Name: Mathieu Debuchy

Age: 29

Nationality: France

Club: Arsenal

Injury: Ankle/Foot

Mathieu Debuchy’s showing the previous season and his impressive start this season before his injury spell makes him a major loss for Arsenal as the entire squad will be hoping he returns very soon. He has great attacking abilities and is also composed in defence, but Arsene Wenger might need to wait until January before he can use him at right back again.

Right Centre Back

Name: Phil Jones

Age: 22

Nationality: England

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Calf/Shin

With only a 50% chance for Phil Jones being fit on time for the Arsenal game, Manchester United are adding even more woes to their already struggling back line. Many believe he can be the key to rejuvenating the squad’s back-line, but his proneness to injuries is always pulling him back. The good news is he is getting closer to a full recovery and might be able to feature the following weekend.

Left Centre Back

Name: Laurent Koscielny

Age: 29

Nationality: France

Club: Arsenal

Injury: Calf/Shin

Laurent Koscielny has not featured for Arsenal in four matches and is very likely to miss the upcoming clash as well. his injury has left a gaping hole in the squad’s back-line as their recent form proves that the French centre-back is a huge loss. He is tipped to return to training this weekend meaning he could make a brief appearance next week as he begins to improve his match fitness.

Left Back

Name: Marcos Rojo

Age: 24

Nationality: Argentina

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Shoulder

Although Marcos Rojo is being deployed as a centre-back for Manchester United, his usual position is at left-back hence his inclusion into the injured XI squad. He was in great form during the World Cup for Argentina and was enjoying a good spell for United before his injury halted his development. He is tipped to return in the middle of next month as Louis van Gaal will surely be missing his services in his struggling back-line.

Defensive Midfield

Name: Daley Blind

Age: 24

Nationality: Netherland

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Knee

Daley Blind will be a huge absence for Manchester United as he is seen as the key member in controlling the club’s link between the midfield and the defence. Without the services of the defensive midfielder, as well as a few of the team’s top defenders, United will surely struggle to deal with the pace of Arsenal’s attacking force. He is unlikely to feature as a host of tactical changes will need to be made by Louis van Gaal.

Defensive Midfield

Name: Mikel Arteta

Age: 32

Nationality: Spain

Club: Arsenal

Injury: Hamstring

Mikel Arteta hasn’t been having the most consistent season so far, dropping in form as well as picking up injuries along the way limiting his regular playing time. The Arsenal captain was the man the players turn to in order to add stability into the midfield, but his absence has left a gaping hole. He is tipped to mark his return by featuring in the game against Manchester United as only time will tell if he can gain back his fitness before kick-off.

Defensive Midfield

Name: Michael Carrick

Age: 33

Nationality: England

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Groin

Michael Carrick only just returned from injury to feature in two of Manchester United’s latest matches, one being for the full 90 minutes before he eventually picked up a knock while on international duty. He is still tipped to play against Arsenal this weekend, but might not get the full 90 minutes. Carrick’s availability will be a huge boost for Louis van Gaal because of his versatility in midfield as well as in defence.

Attacking Midfield

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Name: Mesut Ozil

Age: 26

Nationality: Germany

Club: Arsenal

Injury: Knee

When it comes to a more attacking midfielder, Mesut Ozil’s name is surely the one that tops the list as the German playmaker will be a huge miss for Arsene Wenger. If he is on form, his ability to spot the key passes for Arsenal’s pacey front-line will continuously cause problems for Manchester United during the counter attacks. However, he still needs a lot more recovery time before he can return to the starting line-up.

Striker

Name: Olivier Giroud

Age: 28

Nationality: France

Club: Arsenal

Injury: Ankle

Olivier Giroud is closing in on his return to full fitness as he revealed he hopes to make a recovery by the time Arsenal host Manchester United this weekend. Despite the recent additions of both Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, Arsene Wenger will still consider the services of the French striker if he can prove his worth upon his return. His chance of appearing is only 50% as the Gunners may consider a pacey front-line over a towering presence as they bid to break down the United defence.

Striker

Name: Radamel Falcao

Age: 28

Nationality: Colombia

Club: Manchester United

Injury: Calf/Shin

Radamel Falcao is regarded as one of the most lethal strikers on the planet, but a number of injuries has slowed down his development with many fans hoping he can quickly recover and become the all out striker he was made to be. He has only made three starts this season, netting only once in the close fought victory over Everton. The string of injuries has even questioned his future role at Manchester United with Louis van Gaal not willing to sign him on a permanent basis if he continues to be unavailable for selection.

Steve Clarke knows West Brom need to strengthen their squad this summer to avoid other clubs overtaking them.

The Baggies are on course for a top-10 Premier League finish this season after an impressive campaign under Clarke but the boss knows he will need to strengthen his squad at the Hawthorns in order to improve again.

“In the Premier League, if you stand still other teams come charging past you,” he said. “Whether that means spending more money than normal is a discussion for the club.

“The higher up the league we finish the easier it will be to attract better quality players.”

Clarke, who will hope to secure Romelu Lukaku on loan again from Chelsea next term, has admitted he has already begun to plan for the summer transfer window and hopes new arrivals will strengthen his side.

“Next season is always in your thoughts and you’re always looking, watching games and players and thinking ‘it would be good if we could get him’,” the Scot added.

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“You are always looking at your team and seeing how and where you can improve it. I spend a lot of time watching over games. And we are thinking about next season but we are not going to be distracted by it.”

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Theo Walcott may want to play as a central striker, but for Arsenal he appears a more useful attacking option out wide.

It has been over two months since stories first emerged about the difficulties surrounding Theo Walcott’s contract negotiations, yet, with almost a third of the Premier League season gone, there is still no indication that a deal has been agreed between the club and the Arsenal striker. Talks over extending the 23-year-old’s contract apparently hinge not on money, but on the very word just used to describe him: striker.

Throughout the faltering negotiations, Walcott has insisted that his wages are not the issue. Rather it is a question of his role in the squad, or, more specifically, on the pitch itself, that lies behind no new terms being finalised. Walcott has pressed to be played through the middle for months, but his bit part involvement in Arsenal’s season to date will surely not have convinced him that his wishes will soon be granted.

A common opinion is that Walcott is not able to play in a central striking position for Arsenal because of deficiencies in his technique. It is clear that he has not developed to the levels that those at Arsenal thought he would reach when he was signed in 2006. In the six years he has been at Arsenal, the England international has made over 150 appearances, yet found the net only 28 times.

At his best, Walcott can be devastatingly unplayable. Frightening pace is undoubtedly his key asset, and over the last few years he has put in memorable performances for club and country. Many will recall his superb hat-trick against Croatia in 2008, or his quick-fire brace in Arsenal’s 5-2 demolition of Spurs in last season’s North London derby at the Emirates.

However, in truth, these performances for Arsenal have been too infrequent. He is criticised by those who regularly watch the Gunners for solely using his pace to get past opponents and, more condemningly, for his poor decision making in the final third. Walcott could never be lambasted for being a selfish player, as frequently he shies away from striking at goal, choosing instead to pass to a team-mate.

It would be naïve solely to praise this trait in his game. From one perspective it is unselfishness, but from another it is passing responsibility. While being unselfish is a highly desirable asset for a footballer, the top strikers in the world all display a similar ruthless streak when presented with a chance to get a shot away; something that Walcott does not seem to possess.

Arsene Wenger has stated many times that he holds hope that Walcott can emulate his idol Thierry Henry. Like Walcott, Henry was initially deployed as a wide player under Wenger, before moving inside and becoming one of the most fearsome strikers in world football. However, Henry was a consistently Arsenal’s leading scorer during his time at Arsenal, whereas Walcott has yet to reach double figures in a Premier League season for the club, despite playing all but three games in the competition last season.

Walcott possesses Henry’s lightening speed, but has yet to find the Frenchman’s clinical calmness in front of goal; a fact exemplified by his glaring miss in the final minutes of Arsenal’s recent Champions League draw with Shalke 04, a chance that Henry would have surely slotted home. At his peak, Henry was almost guaranteed to finish when through on goal with just the keeper to beat. Walcott has shown increasing composure in recent matches, yet is still a long way from the unruffled consistency in front of goal that is needed to become a regular goal scorer.

It is easy to be too critical of Walcott, and regularly the young forward is condemned to an unfair extent. A lot of the frustration that emerges in criticism of him stems from a realisation of the promise and potential he does show. Walcott may be inconsistent, but it is clear to see that he is agonisingly close to being the potent attacking threat many long for him to become. His potential is indubitable, but whether or not he can fulfil such promise at Arsenal is becoming more and more unlikely due to the style in which the Gunners play.

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As football grows increasingly consumed by possession, the role of a striker that plays off the shoulder of the last defender looks progressively more threatened. Particularly at a club like Arsenal, where the footballing philosophy centres around keeping hold of the ball and playing chiefly in the opposition’s half. When sides play against Arsenal they frequently sit deep and restrict space, looking to get forward on the counter attack where they can expose Arsenal’s persistent defensive frailties. Consequently, a striker such as summer signing Olivier Giroud is a more suitable candidate for the central forward role as his strength in and around the penalty area can create opportunities for the Gunners’ wealth of talented attacking midfielders.

Arsenal’s number 14 can be a blistering attacking threat, but in the current Arsenal system he is much more effective when played out on the flank where he has more space to use his dangerous pace. Walcott has frequently stated he would be disappointed if he had to leave Arsenal, but his best chance at moving centrally as a striker may be found by moving on from the Emirates.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed concerns about possible racial abuse of his players from Zenit St Petersburg fans in their Europa League tie.

The Russian supporters have earned an unsavoury reputation for their treatment of opposition players, with QPR defender Chris Samba, who used to play for Anzhi Makhachkala, describing some of their supporters as “living in another century”.

There are worries that Liverpool’s black players, Glen Johnson, Andre Wisdom and Raheem Sterling, will be subject of racially motivated chanting and gestures from certain sections of the crowd.

Rodgers admitted that the issue is something he is prepared for, and urged the sport’s governing bodies to take action should any issues occur:

“I will make reference to it because we have players it maybe could affect, but we are here for football.” He is quoted by Sky Sports.

“We are very hopeful there will be a terrific game and anything that goes on outside the field will be taken care of.

“You go into the sporting arena and hopefully everyone from football, UEFA, referees and officials will support any player it may affect.”

However, he feels that his players are professional enough to deal with any potential problems and that his squad are also strong enough to cope:

“I know these are players who want to play and Glen is a very experienced, top international player.

“And young Raheem has been through situations like this (in an Under-21 international in Serbia in October) before.

“It is something which will very much unite the players and they will become one group. No-one in life wants to see anyone come under any sort of scrutiny like that.”

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With his team out of both domestic cup competitions, Rodgers went on to state that he is fully focussed on performing well in the Europa League:

“It is a competition we want to do well in, as it is the last cup competition we are involved in.”

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face Cardiff City for the first time in 39 years this weekend.

The last time both sides encountered each other was on March 1, 1975, and it resulted in a 4-0 victory for United. Stuart Pearson, Lou Macari, Sammy McIlroy and Stewart Houston all scored in front of a 43,601 crowd. Tommy Docherty, who was manager at the time, saw his side promoted to the Championship two months later.

While Cardiff and United have not met since, the latter did pay a visit to Ninian Park in 1976-77 to play a friendly against a South Wales XI in aid of financially-struggling Newport County. They travelled again in the late 1990s for Jimmy Goodfellow’s Testimonial match.

However, speaking of Ninian Park, it was Cardiff’s home for 99 years until 2009. Opinions are divided whether it was the right move or not, but some of the Cardiff hardcore will tell you it’s where the heart was at. Another topic of concern for their fans was the change of club colours from blue to red. A controversial one but stranger things have happened with the modern trend of football ownership in England. Despite all this controversy, the football goes on and they now find themselves fighting to remain in the top flight.

Cardiff’s first season in the Premier League has been hugely inconsistent so far, winning just two of their last six fixtures. Although they beat Manchester City at home, and will have a good go against United on Sunday.

Before the international break David Moyes’ men picked up a bit of momentum. Their 1-0 win over Arsenal thrust them back into the hunt for the title, winning four games out of their previous five. On the same weekend, Cardiff suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Aston Villa.

The champions will be without Michael Carrick, Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones for the game. Nemanja Vidic, Robin van Persie and Rafael da Silva all remain doubtful.

Cardiff, on the other hand, have less injuries with only Andreas Cornelius on the mend from an ankle problem. The Danish striker could be available, albeit from the bench.

Moyes will be aware of the hectic week his side has after the trip to Cardiff. United have an away leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night and another trip down south to White Hart Lane four days later.

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Expect plenty of rotation.

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Arsenal Midfielder Andrei Arshavin has been left out of Fabio Capello’s latest Russia squad, when the national team take on the United States in an International friendly next month.

The 31 year old has been only played cameo roles as a substitute this season, and is firmly among the periphery of the Arsenal squad.

Arshavin had struggled for form last season and has yet to hold down a place for the Gunners this current campaign.

Now it appears that he being overlooked by his national boss too, with Capello once again overlooking the ace for his next fixture.

The Italian named a 35 man squad which will be reduced to 23 later in the week and it also did not include Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Capello seems keen to relinquish the Russian old guard and blood in new talent with Real Madrid’s Denis Cheryshev receiving a call up despite yet making a first team appearance for the Spanish giants.

Russia have made a promising start to their World Cup 2014 Qualifiers notching up three consecutive wins including a 1-0 victory over Portugal in their last outing.

That has put Russia in charge of Group F and the Former England and Real Madrid boss will be looking to use this next international fixture to see who can consolidate the side’s good recent form.

However, in his post-match press conference after the Portugal game he said “Today I saw a Russian team that played with huge desire, huge commitment” and he intends to reward his star performers with places in his side.

Whether Arshavin will be able to earn a place back in Capello’s side remains to be seen.

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Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert will face his former club Norwich for the first time on Saturday lunchtime, with both clubs in desperate need of Premier League points.

Lambert was visibly disappointed with his teams latest display at Craven Cottage, a game which saw them lose 1-0 to a late goal from a set piece.

Whereas Chris Hughton has been enjoying his best week since taking the job at Carrow Road, after Grant Holt’s goal was enough to earn his first win in charge, surprisingly over Arsenal last Saturday.

It was Holt’s second Premier League goal of the season, as he looks to build on his tally of an impressive 15 last season.

Holt will be confident of giving his former manager more grief, with Villa really struggling defensively. Lambert has seen his side concede 13 goals in their opening eight matches.

Norwich have an even worse record however, conceding a total of seventeen so far.

Darren Bent is expected to start up top with Gabby Agbonlahor, after the pair started in the defeat at Craven Cottage, meaning summer signing Christian Benteke will be on the bench.

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Prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Norwich 

Making a justified assertion as to who will get relegated in a Premier League season is an elusive task. Despite every bit of research or stat that you can draw together, sometimes totally unexplainable things happen.

Take Sunderland from last season, for example. After a heroic Capital One Cup final defeat to Manchester City and a slump in domestic form, they looked a shoe in for relegation. They went to the Etihad and got a point, became the first team to ever beat Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in the league (an outrageous feat), and then went and toppled United at Old Trafford.

It made no explicable sense at the time – they were awful in the months before that, and their rise in form did not correlate with returning influential players, an easing fixture list, or any moments of significant fortune.

Wigan and Roberto Martinez’s trademark move was to only start performing after the clocks went back. They too were always a different team in April and May.

Whatever is asserted here will be easy to undermine when the unexplainable again happens- that is the beauty of a relegation dogfight after all. No one in the bottom bracket of teams is safe, no managers have the privilege of having their jobs secured.

What’s more, a shrewd January transfer window can change everything. That can relate to staff and players; it’s astounding that a manager has yet to be sacked heading into the New Year.

Leicester City

Leicester are an easy target at the moment. They’ve made absolutely no progress since they embarrassed United 5-3 in September, and their inability to score is a glaring weakness. Nigel Pearson has just been charged by the FA and they’ve also just dismissed their Director or Football – someone clearly needed to take a portion of blame. Things are pretty much as bad as they can be.

You’d be surprised how often the team that stays up from the newly promoted three is rarely the team that won the championship outright the season before. They look like they’re stuck in that very rut. Pearson and Leicester’s squad have been used to winning week in week out, peaking euphorically with that win over United, and are now stuck in an ongoing cycle of defeats. Because, as a team, they so rarely lost (they lost six times last season), they’ve haven’t been tested sufficiently when confronted with genuine adversity. The lack of that resistant and determined quality exacerbates a bad run further.

But there is a saving grace, and that is their incredibly easy run in. Their last eight games, from which five are at home, feature no teams in the top seven. If ever there was a platform for a great escape, that’s probably it. Having that good run to finish with means they also have a fiendishly difficult February and March- so much so that you would expect them to be cut significantly adrift leading into the business end of the season.

If that happens, Pearson will be sacked. Already burdened with a seven point deficit, Leicester look like the most likely team to get relegated from the Premier League this season.

Burnley

The question surrounding Burnley is to judge how genuinely good they are; they’ve turned a strong corner in recent weeks, but whether they’ll maintain that form is difficult to know.

On balance, you’d probably be able to argue that they have the least talented squad in the league. That won’t be entirely conducive to whether they’ll get relegated, but applies greater pressure on their best players to perform. Danny Ings is essential in that respect – he’s individually inspired them in recent weeks.

Sean Dyche has got them playing long ball football, a typical way of an untalented team altering their approach to compete. They’ve made more long balls than any other team. They also attack 42% down their right hand side, more than any other team in the league, which shows their reliance on George Boyd and Kieran Trippier. One dimensional tactics thus far can be effective, but if you can eliminate their target man or nullify that flank, Burnley will be subdued.

They’re run in is mixed – three of their last four games are away from home, but there’s an absence of top quality opposition at that crucial time. Still, their slow start has impeded them significantly while they may maintain some of the form they’ve shown in recent times, it’s likely that will probably not be enough to stop them from being relegated.

Crystal Palace

Precariously perched above the relegation zone they may be right now, but Palace look like the third and final team most likely to be drawn into the dreaded 18th spot.

Neil Warnock by all accounts has done a very good job there- they’ve been unlucky (they might have picked up more points against West Brom, Swansea, Stoke).

Palace’s problem lies in their attack- Mile Jedinak, a ball winning midfielder by all accounts is their top goal scorer. Tony Pulis’ departure has seen them lose that indefatigable defensive strength that they could call upon so frequently last season, meaning they’re more reliable on scoring than they’ve ever been before. Take away set pieces and they’re a blunt outfit.

More importantly, their fixture run is a horror show: three of their last four games are against United, Chelsea and Liverpool. They’ll need a good March, where they have a run of winnable games; that period will be pivotal as to whether they can build up enough ahead of steam to not have to out-perform against those big teams at the end.

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Hull City

If Palace, Burnley and Leicester get relegated, Hull (who currently are 19th) will stay up. Hull are currently on a dire run of form, bereft of confidence and incapable of scoring, but they’ve got a far superior squad and an experienced manager who will likely guide them to safety.

In their last six games they’ll have to contend with Arsenal, Spurs, United and Liverpool, which means Bruce has to get them performing soon.

His three at the back experiment has brought mixed results, but this is ultimately a good group of players drastically under-performing. Once Tom Huddlestone returns from suspension, Robert Snodgrass becomes fit and their strikers start firing, they’ll steadily migrate north.

That, overall, highlights a trend: all of the underperforming teams this year are doing so because of their inability to score, which is an inverted conclusion considering teams who stay up usually do so because of a steady defence.

QPR’s ascent away from danger has been because of that. If any of these teams can get start scoring in the way QPR have, they’ve all realistically got a chance of surviving.

What’s big, inflated, expensive and comes round twice a year? For those of you that answered a Stewart Downing brace, you are in fact only half right. It is of course the opening of the transfer window and along with it comes all the yellow ticker bars, roving reporters and absolutely absurd rumours that come with it.

Indeed, if you thought the stress and pain that Christmas has heaped upon you for the last four weeks set you up for a period of respite, you would be dreadfully incorrect. Because the January transfer window doesn’t just bring with it a spot of cheeky speculation. Oh no.

It brings with it speculation, hyperbole and an overriding sense of disappointment  Where as once fans used to get mugged off by Teletext rumours, they’re now being had by 14-year-old kids playing ITK’s on Twitter. Throw in absurd player sightings, the horrendous inflation of fees and the migraine-inducing Sky Sports schtick that is the Deadline Day itself and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Click on the burning shirt below and get ready for the TEN things we can expect to see in the transfer window

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Want to share your hate for all things January? Join me on Twitter and tell me what really winds you up: @samuel_antrobus

Football wouldn’t be football without a hardman. A no-nonsense brute of a player that isn’t so much a thug, but someone who just sums up the physical side of the game.

We’ve had plenty in the Premier League since its inception, while there have been several other high-profile ‘hot heads’ all across Europe.

But with hard men you sometimes get lunacy, which is what all five of the players below showed during their playing careers.

So without further ado, here’s FIVE of football’s most notorious hot heads…

[ffc-gallery]Click on Paolo Di Canio to start the countdown

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Paolo Di Canio

The Italian rose to notoriety when he famously pushed over referee Paul Alcock after being shown a red card when playing for Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal in September 1998. He was banned for 11 games and never played for Wednesday again.

He then went to West Ham where he went on to earn legendary status, but not without his famous episodes both on and off the pitch. He once wrestled with teammate Frank Lampard for the ball over an argument over who would take a penalty in a 5-4 win over Bradford. In the same game, he sat down on the pitch and refused to play on, asking the bench to be subbed, after being refused four clear penalty claims.

His managerial career took a similar turn with both Swindon and Sunderland, where he was regularly in the papers for controversial comments and scuffles with his own players.

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Vinnie Jones

Vinne Jones was a member of Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ side that won the 1988 FA Cup Final against Liverpool.

The year before though, Jones was famously grabbing Paul Gascoigne’s crotch in the middle of a game, an image that has become synonymous with the type of player Jones was.

In 1992, Jones presented a show called ‘Soccer’s Hard Men,’ which resulted in the FA handing him a six-month ban for ‘bringing the game into disrepute.’

After a few more misdemeanors and brushes with the FA, Jones famously said: “The FA have given me a pat on the back. I’ve taken violence off the terracing and onto the pitch.”

Lunatic.

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Duncan Ferguson

The Scottish striker is arguably one of the hardest men to have ever played in the Premier League, and he wasn’t scared to show it.

Despite becoming a legend at Everton, he will also be remembered for a headbutt on Raith Rovers’ John McStay in 1994 while playing for Rangers, which was followed by a three-month stint behind bars.

He also left a man in hospital for three days after he attempted to burgle Ferguson’s house in 2001.

Towards the end of his career, and during his second spell at Everton, he was sent off for violent conduct against Wigan Athletic, which was eighth dismissal in the Premier League era. He received a seven-match ban and retired at the end of that season.

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Zinedine Zidane

Still regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, there was also a ‘hot head’ side to Zidane that was so famously witnessed by millions of people across the world.

It was the 2006 World Cup Final between France and Italy and the stage was perfectly set for Zidane to play his last ever game before hanging up his boots for good.

The game went to extra-time with the game tied at 1-1, with Zidane putting in a brilliant final performance. But then, out of nowhere, he head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest and was SUBSEQUENTLY sent off.

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It was later revealed that Materazzi had insulted Zidane’s sister, which is why he did what he did. Zidane late admitted: “I would rather die than apologise.”

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Roy Keane

Keane was always known as a no-nonsense midfielder throughout his career, but one incident perfectly sums up exactly the type of player, and indeed person he was.

Back in 1997, Keane suffered a cruciate ligament injury following a tackle on Leeds’ Alf-Inge Haaland. Haaland stood over Keane while he was in pain on the ground, accusing him of feigning his injury.

Four years later, with Haaland now playing for arch-rivals Manchester City, Keane sought revenge and delivered a late, knee-high challenge on the Norwegian defender.

The tackle ended the City player’s career and Keane later admitted: “I’d waited long enough. I f**king hit him hard… don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.”

Moral of the story? Don’t mess with Roy Keane.

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