Roy Keane
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There are plenty of players who could lay a good claim to being Manchester United's greatest ever captain, but perhaps none so as strongly as Roy Keane.
Having joined United from Nottingham Forest for a British-record fee of £3.75m in 1993, Keane quickly established himself in the first team despite the presence of Bryan Robson and Paul Ince, making 54 appearances to help the club to a league and FA Cup double in his debut season.
The Republic of Ireland international was handed the captain's armband following Eric Cantona's retirement in 1997 and subsequently led the team to the treble in 1999, most notably putting in an influential display in the Champions League semi-final against Juventus despite knowing he would be suspended for the final.
Keane eventually left Old Trafford in acrimonious circumstances following a fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson, but his place in United legend had already been secured during his 480 appearances for the club.
During that time he won seven Premier League titles - including four as captain - four FA Cups and the Champions League, in addition to being named the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year in 2000.
Keane's rivalry with Arsenal and Patrick Vieira is arguably the defining one of the Premier League era, and while his discipline often let him down, it is unlikely United would have enjoyed anywhere near as much success had Keane not been driving them forward from midfield.
