'You can f*ck off!' - Roy Keane's old foe reveals Man Utd legend secretly footed restaurant bill despite 20-year feud as Jamie Carragher played middleman

The duo's feud began at the 2002 World Cup, when Keane infamously left the Republic of Ireland squad before the start of the tournament after falling out with manager Mick McCarthy.

The former United midfielder was disappointed with his country's training facilities and nutrition plans and left, with McAteer backing the head coach at the time. Keane later claimed in his autobiography that McAteer was "too fond of himself for my liking, more interested in hair gel and nightclubs than winning football matches".

The pair soon met in a 1-1 Premier League draw between United and Sunderland in August 2002, battling throughout the game before Keane was sent off after an altercation with McAteer, who claimed he knew which "buttons to press" to make the current Sky Sports pundit lose his head.

Keane and McAteer have been enemies in the 20 years since that falling out, often taking pot-shots at each other in the media.

Speaking in a new quiz programme named 'Call Yourself A Fan', McAteer recalled how they came to blows.

He said: "We didn't speak for 20 years and went backwards and forwards in the media, he'd hammer me so I'd hammer him, he'd give me some stick so I'd give him some stick.

"We had a fight during Sunderland versus Man Utd and he ended up getting sent off. His book had just come out, he had hammered me in his book and started giving me some on the pitch, so I just told him to just shut up and said, 'put it in your book, kn*bhead'.

"With a minute to go he's just gone in with an elbow and got a red card, and we didn't speak for the next 20 years."

However, it seems the pair have made up to some degree, with former Liverpool defender Carragher apparently playing a key role, though it seems there may still be a bit of ill-feeling left in the relationship.

McAteer added: "About six months ago I was in a cafe where I live with my missus, and he [Keane] was in there with his family. I went round the corner, and he left after about 20 minutes. I went to get the bill and the waiter came over and went, 'He's paid your bill'.

"I got dead emotional as I thought, had I wasted 20 years? Because he's actually alright, you know.

"So I rang Jamie Carragher and said, 'Soft a*se has paid my bill in a restaurant, can I have his number?', and he said he'd better ask him first. "Two hours later, Carra rang me back and said, 'Roy said he accepts the thank you, but you can f*ck off, you're not having his phone number!'."

While the hatchet may have been somewhat buried, whether the pair will be spotted sharing punditry duties or a cup of tea together in the future remains to be seen.

Keane is still as confrontational as ever, recently taking a shot at Michael Carrick's wife for having a "big mouth" after the former England international took over as United's interim manager following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

McAteer, meanwhile, remains present in the media as punditry figure, appearing on platforms like talkSPORT, LFCTV and beIN Sports. He retired from professional football in 2007, having also played for Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Tranmere Rovers alongside his spells with Liverpool and Sunderland. The 54-year-old made 52 appearances for Ireland, scoring three goals.