LAST UPDATE | 5 Sep 2019

ROY KEANE HAS launched a stinging attack on Jonathan Walters for his behaviour towards the end of his time involved with Ireland and accused the media of ‘nasty, personal’ attacks on former manager Martin O’Neill.

Speaking at a live Off the Ball event in Dublin last night, the 48-year-old confirmed that he wants a return to management in the near future but revealed that the actions of Walters, along with Harry Arter and Stephen Ward left a sour taste.

Referencing the WhatsApp voice message leaked by a friend of Ward detailing the falling out between Keane, Walters and Arter, Keane labelled the social networking platform ‘RatsApp’.

“I did feel some of the medical staff were pandering to some of the players. When you are speaking to players who aren’t injured who didn’t want to train. There’s a new trend. They are on a programme, and their programme is they don’t train and they don’t play,” Keane said.

“They said ‘The medical staff, said, I’m going to do something back in the gym or back in the pool. Would you not train? Then you have the usual stuff, people go running to the media. Things were exaggerated. A pack of lies.

“The treatment by a lot of sections of the Irish media, it was personal, it was nasty. Martin is a good guy and there’s not many good guys in football. Wardy was there. I’ll give you an example. Jon Walters the last two or three years.

Jonathan Walters and Roy Keane during happier times. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

“Jon does a lot of talking, it’s amazing. Harry Arter, he went to Cardiff on loan, got relegated. Wardy can’t get in the Stoke team, at the moment, bottom of the league.

“Imagine if Jon won a trophy. He talks a good game. He goes on the TV, on about how he was harshly treated by me. Not kicking a ball for Burnley for two or three years. On TV, crying about his family situation. You know, how about lying low for a while, taking it easy. Have a look at his medals? Wouldn’t take long.

“Ironically two or three years ago when his career was coming to the end, he went on loan, he went to Ipswich on loan. I was laughing my head off. When we were beaten by Wales, he didn’t have a good game. Wardy played, didn’t have a good game. They need to go back and watch how bad they were.”

And on his future job prospects as a manager, Keane is adamant he still has plenty to offer. “I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to management, I definitely want to have another crack at it. I don’t think Real Madrid will be calling me. Unless the right opportunity comes up, I’ll back away from it.

“I’d like to have another crack at it and see where it takes it. If I go back to a club, it’s got to be a manager, simply as that. I knew after a month or two, the assistant manager’s role at club level, it didn’t really suit me.

“The club stuff, nah, I definitely would want to go back in and be a manager. People talk about my role in the dressing room, particularly people who have never been in the dressing room with me, I used to kill three people a week,” he joked.

“I’m fairly placid in the dressing room, trust me. This image is hard to shake off. Have I made mistakes? Of course I have. My traits have took me so far. Certain aspects of my management skills, I will probably make lots of mistakes.”

- This piece was originally published at 00.05

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