Alan Shearer hits back at Roy Keane's 'sneaky' claim with brutal response

Alan Shearer has hit back at Roy Keane after the Manchester United icon accused him of foul play. Keane alleged that Shearer deployed "sneaky elbows" throughout his prolific Premier League career.

Meanwhile, Gary Neville backed his former team-mate's viewpoint. Keane said during a recent episode of the Overlap, via the Manchester Evening News: "Shearer was sneaky. Sneaky elbows," before Neville added: "I thought Alan was just, to be fair, nasty I'll be honest with you. He was nasty, Alan, he was horrible."

When questioned about whether he would have wanted Shearer in his own team rather than facing him as an opponent, a furious Keane responded: "No, I didn't admire people who were nasty. Why are you saying that? I wouldn't I don't like nasty people. He was nasty, sneaky elbows, back of the head."

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Attempting to calm tensions, Ian Wright interjected: "No, I don't think he's nasty," before Neville stoked the flames further by saying: "I think he was horrible Alan, as a player. He knew how to dig you."

When Jill Scott questioned whether that quality makes an effective player, Keane maintained his stern expression as he replied: "No. [Eric] Cantona, [Andy] Cole. All these strikers I played with weren't sneaky. They were good honest pros, turned up every week and they weren't sneaky."

Shearer has since hit back at Keane's remarks with backing from long-time friend and colleague, Gary Lineker. Speaking on , Lineker raised the subject by saying: "I saw Roy Keane had a swipe again at you, Alan.

"Sneaky, sneaky, he said, nasty, sneaky elbows and all this. It's amazing what rival pods will do to get a bit of PR."

Pointing out apparent double standards from Keane, given the midfielder was notorious for his crunching challenges and fiery approach on the field, former Newcastle frontman Shearer responded: "Someone sent me that the other day, Micah [Richards] sent me and Wrighty, I mean really? Come on. I mean, sneaky and nasty, some of the tackles? Come on, really? Yeah, okay."

Lineker then reinforced his position by adding: "Pot, kettle, black and all that kind of stuff," before the pair moved on. Premier League legends Keane and Shearer shared an intense rivalry during the early 2000s whilst representing United and Newcastle respectively.

Tensions boiled over notably during a clash between the sides at St. James' Park in September 2001. In the dying moments of the match, which finished 4-3 in Newcastle's favour, Keane hurled the ball at Shearer after moving to the touchline for a throw-in, prompting the striker to shove him back.

Keane then lost his cool, taking a swing at Shearer and earning himself a straight red card from referee Steve Bennett. He was then restrained by his team-mates as he charged towards the Newcastle player.

Reflecting on the incident, the now 54-year-old said: "I lost my temper, we were losing 4-3, I think, in the last minute. If you're going to get sent off, the worst thing is, I pushed him. If you're going to get sent off you might as well punch him properly because you're going to get the same punishment. You might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. That's what I was thinking afterwards. It was just a push. It was ridiculous."

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