Former Manchester United defender, Gerard Pique, claims that during half-time in the dressing room, it was captain Roy Keane who used to address the players.

“He is the player that has the most influence in a dressing room that I have ever seen,” said Pique. “I have been in many dressing rooms and with very important players, but I remember reaching half time in games and it was only him that spoke, the one that made the speech. Sir Alex Ferguson was to one side and he spoke. I am still profoundly affected by him.”

Pique recalls a run-in that he had with the former United skipper after he had left his phone on vibrate and someone rang.

“I used to keep it in the pocket of my tracksuit that we wore when we met up with United and I hung it on the peg and it began to vibrate,” he continued. “There was no sound, it just vibrated and he did not like mobile phones in the dressing room. You had to be completely focussed on the game an hour beforehand and then it began to vibrate and he noticed it and there was a bit of a kerfuffle. He discovered it and he told me off.”