'I crossed the line' - Roy Keane admits he was wrong for 'mocking' Harry Maguire & reveals apology to Man Utd defender

The former midfielder has never been one to mince his words whenever he dislikes anything that a Manchester United player does. On multiple occasions on the end of Keane's stick has been Maguire, who has been heavily criticized for various reasons by not just Keane but many other pundits across the sport. However, Keane has admitted he "crossed the line" with his Maguire criticism and that he privately apologised to the former Red Devils captain.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast from Sky Bet, Keane said: "I was harsh on Harry Maguire. You hope to keep it to footballing reasons and obviously, we cover a lot of Manchester United matches and he was struggling at the time.

"But you also think about the mental health of players and I definitely crossed the line with Maguire.

"I remember one time I kind of mocked him a little bit and that is definitely out or order. I crossed the line and listen, I played the game, I know it’s not easy.

"But I’m also big enough that I apologised to him. Sometimes we pundits get it wrong too."

Maguire joined the Red Devils from Leicester City in the summer of 2019, and just a few months into his debut season he was handed the captain's armband by then-boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, over the last couple of seasons, his form dwindled and he slowly became the easiest target for fans and pundits. Nonetheless, he had a strong end to the 2023/24 season under Erik ten Hag and only missed out on Gareth Southgate's England squad due to an injury.

The 31-year-old defender will only return to action when Ten Hag and the United squad begin their pre-season camp following the end of the Euros. Maguire did not make Gareth Southgate's final England squad for the tournament as he was laid low with an untimely injury.