Comment: The only reason Roy Keane is so bitter about Fergie is because Man United enjoyed more success without him

The truth is, in Keano’s latest autobiography - The Second Half - his reason for falling out with Fergie doesn’t seem to make sense. If anything, it paints Keane himself, rather than the ex-Manchester United boss, in a poor light.

What Keane never manages to mention in all the chapters of his latest offering is the true reasons of his bitterness towards the Scot - the fact that United went on to bigger and better success without him.

The competitiveness in Keane can’t get over that. He felt he was the main man and the one person driving United to all of their success in the late-90s and early part of this century. He was wrong. There was one man driving United to that success alright, but it was the team manager, not the team captain.

Nothing has frustrated Keane more than the fact that United had bigger successes as a club after the Corkman’s departure than they ever did when he was there.

The hard truth that United didn’t need Keane was a harsh reality for the current Ireland and Aston Villa assistant manager to take.

In the seven full seasons after Keane’s contract was practically torn up at Old Trafford, United went on to record their most successful period in the club’s history. They won five Premier League titles in seven years and made it to three Champions League Finals - winning one in 2008.

In contrast, in the seven years prior to that, under Keane as captain, United won four league titles and and made it to one Champions League final. United only won one league title in Keane's last four seasons with the club — the most barren spell in the entirety of Ferguson's Premier League years.

United didn't just get on with life without Roy Keane, they motored on without him. Keane, himself, didn’t really get on with life so easily without Manchester United.

In his latest book, Keano suggests that he told disciplinarian Ferguson in a rant that “We need f*cking more from you gaffer.” This led to the then United manager to summon Keane to a meeting the following day, where he was told his services were no longer required at Old Trafford. Simple. A well dealt with, well managed situation by Ferguson. Keane questioned the boss’ authority, and out he goes. Much the same way Keane would operate as a manager, should another club take the risk by appointing him.

This is a diluted argument for criticising Ferguson and when you comb through the autobiography as a whole it’s hard to understand Keane’s specific reasons for now disliking his old gaffer. None of his arguments add up.

The only reason Keane is so bitter about his former boss is due to the fact that United continued having more success without him.

This fact gnaws at Keano’s consciousness and it’s undoubted he’ll ever get over it.

Only one man has ever left modern Manchester United only for results to drop dramatically - and that man is Alex Ferguson.

The fact that United’s results have dropped so much since Fergie retired won’t sit well with the Corkman either.

Keane was just a footballer to Ferguson - that’s it. He was no messiah, no must-have man.

When he was no longer a requirement to the Scot, he was ruthlessly removed. He’s not the only one that happened to, Ferguson called time on hundreds of players’ careers at United, such as icons David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Jaap Stam among others. It’s par for the course in football management. All of the others got over it, they understood. Keane’s ego doesn’t allow him to get over it. He still can’t understand that United went on to improve without him.

Judging by the contents of his latest book, Keane’s bitterness is more apparent than ever. He set out to have a dig at Ferguson to dent the Scot’s standing in the game. All he’s managed to do is inform anyone who’ll read The Second Half is that Fergie got the better of him and to this day, it still hurts.