Roy Keane’s transfer to Manchester United changed English football forever 

THIRTY years ago this week, Roy Keane moved to Manchester United from Nottingham Forest for a British record transfer fee of £3.75 million and English football was changed forever.

The Red Devils were just after winning their Premier League title and Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to strengthen the squad. 

He already had one player from Leeside on the books at Old Trafford, and Denise Irwin was joined by a familiar face that had just experienced relegation.

That was one of the biggest tragedies in the history of English football. Nottingham Forest were managed by Brian Clough, the man that brought two European Cups to the City Ground. 

They started the first ever Premier League season with a victory over Liverpool, and there was genuine talk of a title challenge in the local papers.

Things withered over the coming months, and Forest were relegated on the day Clough managed his last game at the City Ground.

Keane wasn’t a young member of the squad, he had been with the club since 1990 and played in the 1991 FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.

That could have been the ideal moment for Clough to walk, but he stayed another two seasons and ended up a broken man; burdened by alcoholism and the pressures of management.

The actual transfer of Keane to United wasn’t a simple transaction involving a relegated club letting one of their best players go on to achieve bigger things.

Keane had signed a new three and a half year contract at the City Ground in March 1993. 

This meant nothing just two months later, as the midfielder admitted he was leaving when speaking to the Examiner on Monday 3 May, 1993.

“I am definitely on my way out at the City Ground and after our match away to Ipswich Town at the weekend I will have to sit down with the chairman, Fred Reacher and Brian Clough and discuss my future,” he said.

“Again, I won’t rushed into signing for anyone or making any hasty decisions. But it was on the cards, I suppose, for a couple of months as we were fighting relegation virtually all season.” 

There was no shortage of clubs interested in signing Keane, with the list going from Arsenal to Real Madrid. 

The club that reached an agreement with the midfielder was Blackburn Rovers. When United got a wind of this, Ferguson wasted no time in getting involved.

"I agreed a deal and shook hands with him," Keane recalled. 

"I went back to Cork and, on the Sunday morning, woke up and I got a phone-call from Sir Alex to my house back in Cork and he said will you come and meet with me for talks tomorrow. 

"I said look, I shook hands with Blackburn and he said don't worry about that! Kenny was fuming!"

"I can't afford to lose this player," Ferguson told Forest boss Frank Clark. "You know how much I have wanted him for ages."

"We had to sign Roy Keane," the manager said. "It was absolutely vital for the club's future."

The deal was finalised on Saturday, July 17th after United upped their bid. 

Keane was officially unveiled as a United player that Monday at Old Trafford and he said the transfer was a dream come true while setting the record straight on what happened with Blackburn Rovers.

“United are the best and biggest club in Britain. Money is important but it’s not everything and moving to OT is like a dream come true. "They have got the best stadium, the best team and greatest supporters in the country. 

"All I want to do now is get to know my new team-mates,” he said.

“I never agreed any contract with Blackburn Rovers although I did shake hands with Kenny Dalglish on a possible transfer. 

"I agreed personal terms with him but that was all. United were probably the last club I spoke to and I was delighted to put pen to paper for them.” 

Keane made 37 appearances that season for United, and he started off his tenure by helping the club beat Arsenal in the Charity Shield game. 

The game was a 1-1 draw and the midfielder scored in the shoot-out after Irwin missed. Bryan Robson hit the decisive penalty and Keane had his first piece of silverware with United.

United went narrowly close to winning a domestic treble that season, with Aston Villa beating them in the EFL Cup final. 

Despite this, Keane finished the season with three medals after United retained the Premier League title and did the double by defeating Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

This was just the start of a 12 year spell that would see United rewrite the meaning of success in English football by winning almost every available piece of silverware.