Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer has told Roy Keane that “I’d rather have a couple of mates than a couple of medals”.

Keane has made the headlines in recent weeks for his volatile opinions on Jon Walters and Sir Alex Ferguson.

While Walters gave an admirably measured response to the incendiary remarks, McAteer was less kind in his opinions on a long-term rival.

The pair often clashed on the international scene for Ireland and McAteer has reminded his foe that “you can’t take the medals down the pub and have a pint with them”.

“I would rather have mates than medals,” he told talkSPORT.

“We all know Roy, he says what he wants and that’s why he’s box office because he says it how he thinks.

“It’s very watchable at times, but unfortunately I do feel he lets himself down with the comments he makes about other players and I was disappointed that Roy come out and said some of the things he did.

“Jonny is a brilliant guy and he’s an advocate for mental health. He’s gone on telly and put himself out on a limb because he feels it’s going to help people, and it is.

“We need to create more awareness of mental health these days and what people go through, certainly elite sportspeople because it’s a very demanding environment and unfortunately when you come out of it it leaves you with problems sometimes.

“Jonny feels the need to come out and help people, which is fantastic, you take your hat off to him for that. So for Roy to bring him down and suggest he needs to stop crying on the telly, it was a poor comment.

“I think he got wrapped up in the environment, everyone was laughing, there was a lot of people in the audience and he maybe got a little bit too comfortable with his comments and he let himself down.

“As far as of the other comments between them, they are Roy’s opinions and Jonny has come out and said what he needed to say about the situation, and it’s just whose story you believe.

“Roy does like the medals one, but at the end of the day you can’t take the medals down the pub and have a pint with them. They don’t talk back to you.

“I’d rather have a couple of mates than a couple of medals, to be honest.”