One of Roy Keane’s former team-mates doesn’t believe in his hard man persona

Roy Keane and Jason McAteer have what you might say is a strained relationship.

Keane and the ex-Liverpool man had an infamous falling out after the 2002 World Cup during a match between Sunderland and Manchester United and we're not sure if things have been settled between them since. https://twitter.com/MikeH2999/status/653184407365414912 Keane is now part of the Irish management set-up that could be 90 minutes away from dragging us to the European Championships next summer in France, with the media lapping up every utterance from the Corkman's mouth. The former Celtic man is still box-office, but for McAteer, speaking on Sky's Goals on Sunday, says he doesn't believe that the former Cobh Ramblers player is seen as such a fearful character by those who worked with him,

"What you see on the telly when he's doing press conferences, that's his character. He's not like that really. "Does he play a role? I think he does... well I know he does. He can play it to the media and the public and he has this hard-man persona. But he has got a sense of humour and he is funny when he wants to be. "Is he softer in the dressing room? Very much so. He will get annoyed, but he'd be a lot softer than you'd think and what you know of him."

Irish players who have worked with Keane and Martin O'Neill might agree, or perhaps politely disagree.