Police are investigating an alleged road rage incident involving Roy Keane.

The 43-year-old Republic of Ireland assistant manager is said to have gotten into an altercation with a taxi driver in Altrincham town centre in Manchester, which led to police being called.

The taxi driver reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police, claiming that Keane got out of his car at traffic lights and shouted abuse at him and his passenger after they recognised the Irish man and told him to “smile”.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, taxi driver Fateh Kerar admitted he was left “shaken and terrified” by the alleged incident.

Keane’s car was stopped when both the driver of the taxi and his passenger recognised the former Manchester United star and, it seems, tried to speak to him.

“We were both saying ‘that’s Roy Keane’ but he was just glaring back at us, looking really angry,” Fateh Kerar said. “I said ‘hello’ to him, then said ‘smile’.

“He drove behind us going into Altrincham and as we got to the traffic lights, he stopped beside us and turned to us still looking really angry. He got out of his car in the middle of the road, held two fingers up and walked out in front of me. He was pointing and swearing and being very aggressive.”

His passenger, Hothan Isman, said Kerar was visibly shaken.

Greater Manchester Police later confirmed that they were looking into the matter.

“At 11.30am this morning, Friday 30 January 2015, police were called to Ashley Road, Altrincham to a report that a man had behaved aggressively towards another man,” said a spokeswoman for the force. “An investigation is underway to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.”

The episode comes two days before Martin O’Neill is due to do his first press conference of the year to launch an FAI sponsorship deal with Spar.

The manager became somewhat irritated in advance of last November’s friendly against the United States when asked about Keane’s behaviour and the coverage, of it but insisted he was “delighted to have him”.

The Corkman had become angry at a press conference of his own the previous day while the previous week Keane had called gardaí to the Irish team hotel in Portmarnock after a problem with a fan.

The following month he made the headlines again after apparently going to Tom Cleverley’s home to confront the midfielder who, he believed, was responsible for a tabloid story that suggested his decision to resign as Aston Villa assistant manager had been the result of a training ground altercation with players.