Roy Keane says what everyone told him about 42-year-old former Liverpool striker was totally wrong

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Roy Keane has shared his experience of working with former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse.

Keane signed Cisse on-loan whilst managing Sunderland back in 2008. With the Frenchman having won the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool, he was a bit of a coup for the Black Cats.

But according to Keane, the 42-year-old also came with a reputation within the game. A reputation that, so says the Irishman, was completely unwarranted.

“I remember I was trying to get Djibril Cisse and everyone said to me ‘no, not a great lad’ but I still took a chance,” Keane told the Stick to Football podcast.

“And again, beggars can’t be choosers, you think ‘we need a striker’, and he’s one of the best lads I’ve ever come across.

“Other lads I rang and as soon as they walked in the building you think ‘I’m not sure about these fellas’. You really still don’t know a player until he’s walked into the building.”

Keane says people were wrong about Cisse

Cisse’s was a funny old career – both with Liverpool and beyond. Despite two good seasons with the Reds, he was shipped out to Marseille on-loan in 2006 and never returned.

From there, the former France international signed for 11 clubs in nine different countries. Remarkable.

Perhaps his inability to settle anywhere for too long is what gave Djibril this undesirable reputation. Maybe it was the fact that he’s a natural extrovert with an eye-catching style.

Nevertheless, as Keane found out, the neigh Sayers were completely wrong. Cisse had a great attitude and was always willing to work for the team.

To this day, we rue the fact that Djibril was never given the chance to play in a better Liverpool team. It’s a slight oddity that despite leaving before Rafa Benitez assembled his title-challengers of 2008/09, Cisse was part of the team that won the only two major trophies under the Spaniard.

He was a late, normal time substitute in Istanbul and converted during the penalty shootout. Meanwhile, the forward also scored a lovely goal in the 2006 FA Cup final.

Cisse was also the hero in the 2005 Super Cup. After bagging late on to take the game into extra-time, he scored again to give Liverpool the lead, which Luis Garcia then extended. All in all, Cisse scored 24 goals in 82 games for the Reds. Hardly prolific, but given the moments he delivered, he was deserving of a third season at Anfield.

For whatever reason though, that season never came. Cisse was left to bounce around the leagues, including a very good one-year spell at Sunderland under Keane. As the tempestuous Manchester United legend soon found out, Djibril is a very good lad indeed.