Legendary Juventus Boss Reveals He Almost Signed Roy Keane From Manchester United

Legendary Italian manager Marcello Lippi recently revealed that he was once close to signing Manchester United captain Roy Keane. Lippi was manager of Juventus

Legendary Italian manager Marcello Lippi recently revealed that he was once close to signing Manchester United captain Roy Keane. 

Lippi was manager of Juventus during Man Utd's famous treble-winning season in 1999, although the Italian had left the club before the two sides met in the Champions League semi-final.

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In an interview with the Daily Mail, Lippi confessed that he appreciated Keane and he had tried to sign the Irishman during his time on I Bianconeri bench. 

"I loved (Roy) Keane. He was very close to moving to Juventus but then failed to negotiate," he is quoted as saying.

The Red Devils went on to win a dramatic second leg in Turin, in which Keane drove his side on to victory, despite picking up a suspension for the subsequent final in Barcelona.

The inspirational captain scored for his side as Sir Alex Ferguson's team produced a brilliant 3-2 comeback. 

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Man Utd would go on to lift the Champions League that year, thanks to two dramatic late goals against Bayern Munich, scored by Teddy Sheringham and now Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

Keane stayed at Old Trafford until a bust-up with Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz in 2005 meant that the Ireland international's position at the club was untenable, and his contract was terminated. 

The 48-year-old's bitter rivalry with his previous boss continues to rumble on, and the former Sunderland and Ipswich manager took to a recent chat show with 'Off The Ball' to question Ferguson's priorities during his time at the Man Utd helm.