Roy Keane has urged player at top Premier League clubs to 'stick to their guns' and refuse to accept wage cuts amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

England's top players have come under fire after they rejected proposals to accept a collective 30% wage deferral or cut to help their clubs come through the Covid-19 crisis, yet former Manchester United captain Keane has offered a typically forthright defence of their stance.

"I'm not sure how I'd have dealt with it, I have a lot of sympathy for the players out there, a lot of players are getting criticised," he told Sky Sports when asked how he, as a player, would have reacted to a call for a pay cut.

"Looking at it now, particularly with the way I left United, and I'm talking about players at the really big big clubs, with a lot of wealthy owners and pressure to take pay cuts, I wouldn't take a pay cut if I was at one of the bigger clubs.

"It's nobody's business what you do with your wages. You take your wages and if you want to be generous, go ahead and do it, there's a lot of speculation out there but I don't think people should believe everything they read about what players are doing, taking 10% or 15%.

"Players should not feel under pressure, particularly at the big clubs, I know everyone is different, different circumstances but your contract with the club is a personal matter and this idea that all the players have do to this is nonsense, it's up to the individual and if they want to stick to their wages, while they have a billionaire in the background, then do that.

"I am surprised at the amount of people jumping on the bandwagon and criticising the players, it's nobody's business. I'm talking about the clubs with wealthy owners, I have sympathy for the lower leagues, you make sacrifices in the lower leagues but the players at the top, where the clubs have the money, stick to your guns."

"At the bigger clubs the money is available to the players, individual players getting criticised is unfair, you have different personalities in the dressing room, it's up to the players individual. Some player getting their full wages might be the most generous person on the planet and let them do what they want, for the NHS or whatever charity but I'd fight the players' corner."

Keane said his own stance on a public debate over player wages was formed by negative situations in his playing days, especially at Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.

"From my own experiences, my own contract situations at Forest and Man United when I was negotiating new deals and the day I was leaving the club, the club made it clear to me, on any issue of negotiations, that it was a business and I understood that. But I signed a contract and I expected the clubs to honour that," Keane added.

"I was on the same money at Forest for two and half years, eventually I got a pay rise and I was told I was greedy. I went to Man United, they said they couldn't match Blackburn for the wages, when I signed a new contract they sent letters to supporters saying season tickets had gone up because of my contract, the day I left I was sat in front of Ferguson and Gill, who discussed cash-flow problems. Brilliant.

"That's the business side of it so when the clubs come to the players, and this is clubs with billionaire owners, saying they are in trouble, they have to honour that contract.

"I was in a brilliant dressing room at United, different characters, if players wanted to give up some of their wages good luck to them but this idea that the players give up their wages, forget about it. They [clubs] are the first to tell you it's a business, they have billionaires in the background, they are ruthless and they are discussing cashflow problems. I have heard it all before."

Keane went on top suggest he is hoping the current Premier League season is concluded, even though he admitted there may be huge challenges to make that happen.

"It's a minefield at the moment, but hopefully we can get some kind of closure and get the games finished," he added. "The longer it goes on, I think the less chance that's going to happen."

Online Editors