Tim Howard names Roy Keane as his best Manchester United teammate

What's the story?

Ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard has named Roy Keane as the best player he has played with at Manchester United. The former USA shot-stopper ended a 22-year long career earlier in the month.

In case you didn't know...

Tim Howard started his career in the USA in 1997 before joining Manchester United in 2003. The American made an instant impact with the Red Devils as he displaced World Cup winner Fabian Barthez from the top spot.

The second season saw Howard making several errors which ultimately led to him leaving to Everton, initially on loan in 2006 , before making his move permanent following the arrival of Edwin van der Sar. The shot-stopper spent ten seasons in the blue half of Merseyside before returning to the USA in 2016 to join MLS side Colorado Rapids

The shot-stopper finally called it a day earlier in the month after three seasons with the club.

The heart of the matter

Tim Howard has surprisingly named Roy Keane as the best ever player he played with during his time at Manchester United. The American who spent four years with the Red Devils played alongside some of the finest players to have ever graced the league.

Tim Howard, who played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and a host of other Manchester United greats made his rather surprising choice while speaking to ESPN.

"I played with so many great players and leaders in my career, but to me, none was better than Roy Keane during my time at Manchester."

"He was the toughest son of a b**** I ever met. Nothing short of brilliant."

"As a coach, he taught me about resilience. And never giving up on myself. I took so much of what I learned from being around him and used it over the rest of my career, trying to pass it along to the next generation."

The shot-stopper then went onto speak about his early days in Manchester.

"If I could go back to 2003 and that nervous, naive 24-year-old kid on a plane flying to England to play for Manchester United, about to sign with the biggest football club in the world, I’d tell him to buckle up tight."

"It’s going to be one hell of a ride. There will be good days and bad. You’re going to go to some dark places."

"You’re going to wonder if you should give up. People will criticise you for decades on end. But it will all be worth it."