Sir Alex Ferguson pays tribute to former rival Kevin Keegan

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Kevin Keegan "carried the love of the game on his sleeve" as he paid a fond tribute to his former rival.

Keegan's death aged 75 was announced on Monday and Ferguson, recalling their managerial battles, praised the former Newcastle United manager for the impact he made with the Tyneside club.

"I had the utmost respect for him," Ferguson, whose team famously beat Newcastle to the Premier League title in 1995-96, told Track Radio.

"We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic."

Keegan's first stint as Magpies boss was between 1992 and 1997. He guided the club to promotion to the Premier League in 1992-93 before they went on to finish as runners-up to United three years later.

"He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That's the job he did," said Ferguson.

"And he also brought three great players to the club – [David] Ginola, [Faustino] Asprilla, Philippe Albert - and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.

"Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there's no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players.

"That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle - I think - their best ever team."

Keegan famously said "I will love it if we beat them" in a TV outburst aimed at Ferguson as Newcastle gave up a 12-point lead when they were beaten to the title by United in 1996.

That reaction came after Ferguson questioned whether Leeds and Nottingham Forest would try as hard against Newcastle as they would against Manchester United.

Ferguson recalled that the pair bumped into each other at Wentworth Golf Club a few weeks after the end of the season and there was no animosity as they spent time together.

"The great thing about him, he held no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night," said Ferguson.

"All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that."

Ferguson joined the floods of tributes being paid to former England captain and manager Keegan, who enjoyed a stellar playing career which involved spells at Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle.

He claimed three league titles, the European Cup, two Uefa Cups and the FA Cup during a six-year spell from 1971 to 1977 at Liverpool.

He helped Hamburg win the Bundesliga and earned back-to-back Ballons d'Or in 1978 and 1979. Keegan remains one of only four English players to have won the award to date.

As a manager, he was also in charge at Fulham and Manchester City in addition to England and Newcastle.

Keegan signed Alan Shearer for a world record £15m fee for Newcastle in 1996 and also took charge of England at a time when the striker was captaining his country.

"He was my friend. A man everyone loved. For his passion. For his energy but most of all for his friendship. He loved football and he loved Newcastle more than anything," said Shearer.

"I'm so honoured to have known him. We will miss you Kevin."

Newcastle United's current manager Eddie Howe got in touch with Keegan when he was appointed by the Magpies in 2021.

"Kevin was an inspiration to me as a young player and, I'm honoured to say, a friend whose guidance and support meant a great deal in recent years," said Howe.

"He showed me incredible warmth and generosity. He had already given so much to this football club, yet he immediately made me feel welcome.

"Kevin understood better than most the privilege and responsibility of leading Newcastle United. He was always willing to share his wisdom, offer encouragement and provide support, and I will always be grateful for that."

Former Scotland and Liverpool forward Sir Kenny Dalglish described Keegan as "one of the very best players of his generation" who "wore Liverpool's famous number seven shirt with great distinction".

"His achievements on the pitch were exceptional, but he was also a wonderful person and genuine gentleman," added Dalglish, who was signed from Celtic to replace Keegan at Liverpool in 1977, and later also succeeded him as manager of Newcastle.

"He gave so many people wonderful memories and his teams played the game in a way that supporters loved to watch.

"Football has lost one of its true greats."

Phil Thompson described his former England and Liverpool team-mate as the "best of all the people I have known in football and in sport".

"He was a lovely man and that is above all his footballing exploits," said former defender Thompson. "Humility poured out of Kevin's veins."

He added: "When he came to Liverpool, he was a star waiting to happen. We got a superhero in 1971 and he was a revelation. He was inspirational."

Former Liverpool forward David Fairclough made his first-team debut for Liverpool in 1975 and said he "looked up" to Keegan and "started to do things the Kevin Keegan way".

"I remember going home after training, having been an apprentice, and telling my friends how close I had been to Kevin Keegan," Fairclough told BBC Radio Merseyside. "I would tell them about the fact he had even addressed me.

"As a young kid, it was so nice that he had noticed me. I remember my mates being gobsmacked about it because he was the top man at Liverpool at that time."

Keegan scored 21 goals in 63 games for England between 1972 and 1982, and went on to manage them from February 1999 until October 2000.

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