Roy Keane says his personality towards family is a far cry from what he's like as a pundit – especially when it comes to his daughters and their respective love lives.
The 53-year-old footballing legend was known for his hard-headedness on the pitch for Manchester United, never shying away from a meaty tackle and happy to lambast team-mates when they weren't performing. And that persona has translated over to his punditry duties after retiring from the beautiful game, constantly critiquing players and managers for lacklustre efforts.
However, it appears as though Keane's family life is far more settled and laid-back, which is positive news for any of his daughters' love interests. Keane and his wife Theresa Doyle share five children together in Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Leah and Alanna – who are now all adults.
When asked about what it was like having so many women in one house on The Tommy Tiernan Show last year, Keane simply responded "brilliant", and his blunt answer prompted much laughter from the shocked studio audience. He then added: "No it is, brilliant. Really good kids, they're good, very good kids." When asked about the toughest part of being a father, Keane struggled to answer before Tiernan butted in: "Are you f***ing kidding me are you?"
Shaking his head and shrugging, Keane added: "No, they're ok. Listen when they get a bit older, I suppose boyfriends and that type of carry on, yeah that can be..." While meeting your girlfriend's father can be an incredibly daunting task, Keane was also adamant that he's fairly relaxed, which intrigued the audience at the time. He explained: "You'd be very surprised. Surely that's the same for everybody."
Tiernan pondered: "You're so guarded. Maybe you're just so calm and settled and strong?" Keane reaffirmed his stance with: "No, quite relaxed yeah. Do you want me to do a somersault or something? Very relaxed, nice drive up, we're good."
Luckily for Keane, he seems fairly keen on his daughter Leah's fiance Taylor Harwood-Bellis, publicly giving his opinion on the footballer after seeing him score on his England debut against Ireland last month. England clinched a 5-0 win over Ireland in the UEFA Nations League on November 17, with Harry Kane breaking the deadlock from the spot in the second half.
Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher and Jarrod Bowen each then found the back of the net, before Harwood-Bellis headed home a pinpoint cross to round the game off in a dream debut. After the game, Keane explained that it was "bittersweet" to see the 22-year-old score against Ireland, before he was asked about the player marrying his daughter in the near future.
To which, he humorously replied: "It's not done and dusted yet! A lot can change in the Keane household let me tell you!" On a more serious note, the Irishman then added: "Over the last few months, he's got a goal threat in him even playing for Southampton. It's nice for him. He's a nice kid, his family have done a great job. Really nice kid."
Harwood-Bellis broke through the ranks of the Manchester City youth academy in 2019, before being loaned out to the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Anderlecht, Stoke, Burnley and Southampton. A move to the latter became permanent in 2024, with the youngster racking up 14 Premier League starts for the Saints this season thus far.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
United have unveiled their new adidas home kit with new front-of-shirt sponsors for the 2024/25 season - and you can get your hands on it right now.