Gary Neville and Roy Keane revealed that they suspected some “Italian teams” were not “clean” when their team Manchester United faced them in the early 2000s.
The duo appeared in the Stay with the football podcastbrought to you by sky betalongside fellow co-hosts Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright as experts analyze the game, both past and present.
In a recent episode, Neville began talking about encounters with past Serie A teams when he was at United, opening up about the suspicions he had at the time.
The former England defender suggested that he and some of his team-mates at the time had left the pitch after matches suspecting “something was not right”.
“There’s a couple that stick out in my mind and I think there were a few teams we played that weren’t clean,” Neville said. “We thought about it at the time.”
Gary Neville stated that he felt that a team he played against in the 2000s had players who were “not clean”.
Roy Keane indicated that he felt that the players leaving the field looked like they “hadn’t even played a game”.
Keane and Neville faced three different Italian teams in the Champions League playing together
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Wright then asked if it was because they suspected rival players were “enthusiastic”, before Carragher suggested they “must be” Serie A teams.
‘I remember Giggsy and I in the early 2000s. You know what, we were on form and I thought…’ Neville continued.
Then-captain Roy Keane chimed in and added that he too had noticed something, stating that the opponents looked like they “hadn’t even played a game” after 90 minutes of action.
“We played certain teams and I left completely devastated,” said the former Ireland international.
“I looked at players I had played against, a couple of Italian teams, and it looked like they hadn’t even played a game! But why can’t we talk about that?
Neville continued: “We’re not naming clubs, but I think when you look back and look at what happened in cycling and other sports and the doctors… We thought at the time that, physically, we were in good shape.”
‘We weren’t drinkers, we were fit… but that’s not right. There is something that is not right. “I came off the field against an Italian team and thought ‘that’s not right’, and I know a couple of guys in the mid-2000s thought exactly the same thing.”
The Man United duo were part of the 1999 Champions League-winning team that sealed a treble
During Neville and Keane’s time at Manchester United, they faced several Italian teams, namely Juventus (five times), AC Milan (twice), Inter Milan (twice), as well as a UEFA Super Cup clash against Lazio. in 2000-01.
Neville also faced Roma on one occasion after Keane left the club.
Gary Neville was speaking at the Stay with the football podcastpresented by Sky Bet.