Ruud van Nistelrooy and Martin Keown bury hatchet over heated rivalry - 'What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch'

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Ruud van Nistelrooy and Martin Keown reunited on TNT Sports and discovery+ ahead of Leicester City's clash with Arsenal, with the two legends recalling their fiery rivalry from two decades prior. The two battled fiercely while competing for the Premier League title at Manchester United and Arsenal, in what was one of the league's most iconic conflicts.

'Apologies for all of the shenanigans' - Van Nistelrooy, Keown reunited after famous clash

Video credit: TNT Sports

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Martin Keown recalled their heated rivalry when playing for Manchester United and Arsenal as they met ahead of Leicester City's clash with Arsenal, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

The two legends created some iconic imagery in one of the Premier League's most famous rivalries as they fought with passion and fire for their respective clubs.

Perhaps the most famous of those images remains Keown celebrating in the Dutchman's face after he missed a last-minute penalty for United against Arsenal.

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Over two decades later, and Van Nistelrooy is once again facing Arsenal, but this time as manager of Leicester.

Keown, a notoriously hard tackler on the pitch, admitted he has had to apologise to numerous strikers following his playing career, and he was quick to apologise to the Leicester boss on Saturday.

"Apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day," the former Arsenal defender said immediately.

"I'm glad you're standing there and not next to me because you used to stamp on me."

Van Nistelrooy replied: "What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I'm happy that I have him in front of me and not the back of me.

"It was a good rivalry, wasn't it?

"I would like to block you out as well, and then fall over."

"Since I've finished playing, the amount of strikers I've had to apologise to," Keown added. "It was nothing personal with the way I treated him, every striker got treated exactly the same. Maybe a little bit of extra special spice for him, because he was a pretty decent striker.

"He was clever, a very clever player. When he used to push off to receive the ball to feet he always used to stamp on you as he ran away. The little things you can't do now.

"But his movement, the way he used to pull off the shoulder, the way he used to stand in an offside position when the ball was on the other side. He was very clever."

'YOU DON'T ALWAYS LIKE THE PERSON YOU BECOME'

Alongside TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole, Keown spoke about his rivalry with Van Nistelrooy and how footballers can become different people once they step on the pitch.

"You don't always like the person you become but you have to be competitive," he said. "When you cross that white line you have to change and you want to win at all costs.

"The person you become when you stop on the pitch is different. I was a nasty little thing on the pitch, trust me," added Cole.

"I didn't speak to Rio [Ferdinand] for about 10 years, and that's what it was. You have to become that person on the pitch and that's acceptable.

"I think it's okay to be competive, it's okay to go close to mark. Sometimes you'll stumble across the mark but you learn from that and how far you can push it, and that's what sports all about."

When is Leicester v Arsenal?

Leicester City host Arsenal at King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, February 15.

Kick-off is at 12:30 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 commencing at 11:00.

How to watch Leicester v Arsenal?

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Leicester v Arsenal will be live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 11:00 UK time on February 15 ahead of kick-off at 12:30.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

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