• Premier League

Keane hits out at Mourinho's mind games

Roy Keane claimed Jose Mourinho disrespected him and Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert © Getty Images

Enlarge

Roy Keane has reignited his war of words with Jose Mourinho, claiming it is easy for the Chelsea manager to play mind games with a squad worth £300 million.

The Aston Villa assistant manager again branded Mourinho "disgraceful" for attempting to shake his hand before the final whistle as Villa suffered a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Keane spoke of his anger at Mourinho for disrespecting him and Villa manager Paul Lambert, with Mourinho claiming he would continue to offer handshakes to opponents before matches had finished.

While Keane acknowledged Mourinho's success as a coach, he pointed out how much money his foe had spent during his managerial career at clubs including Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

"He plays too many mind games but that's fine. That's up to himself," Keane said. "He'll argue all day he can back it up with trophies. Of course, he can. But it helps when you've got players worth £300m."

"He is entitled to do what he wants. Is he worried about my opinion? Of course not, he is off trying to win championships and Champions Leagues. The early handshake has never happened to me before so you just tell him 'I'll see you at the end of the game'."

Last week Mourinho suggested Keane - who has just released his second autobiography The Second Half - was attacking him simply to boost sales. Keane dismissed the claim, insisting he would attack any other managers if they had attempted to shake his hand early.

"It has got nothing to do with the book," he said. "You shake hands with someone at the end of the game. I think it was disgraceful. But do you think I am some sort of robot on a PR trip to sell books?

"If you ask me a question whether people should shake hands before the end of the game, whether it is non-league, I would say it was disgraceful. It is nothing to do with Mourinho, it is any manager.

"If people want to shake my hand before the end of the game, whether it is Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez, I'd say no. I think most people would say the same."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd