Roy Keane Leaves Aston Villa: Latest Details, Reaction and More

The relationship of Roy Keane and Aston Villa is at an end after the former Manchester United man announced his exit, and now fresh rumours are emerging regarding the reasons behind the decision.

Monday, Dec. 1

Keane Departure Reportedly Sparked by Player Bust-up

Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail reports Keane's exit came after a mass fallout at Villa:

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Roy Keane was involved in a training-ground row with Aston Villa players 24 hours before his sudden exit from the club.

[...[ Sportsmail understands that tensions between Keane and several senior players have been simmering for some time. A club insider said there was a bust-up at their Bodymoor Heath training ground on Thursday which began during the session and is thought to have continued afterwards.

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Friday, Nov. 28

Keane Leaves Aston Villa

Roy Keane has departed his role as Aston Villa's assistant manager with immediate effect.

This surprising development was reported by the club's official Twitter account:

Keane, who joined Paul Lambert's staff during the summer, admitted he cannot commit to the Midlands club while maintaining the same position with the Republic of Ireland national team.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian provided comment from the 43-year-old:

The former Manchester United captain will now focus on aiding Martin O'Neill's side as they look to qualify for Euro 2016. Oliver Kay of The Times suggests Keane's timing is a little strange:

Jonny Singer of the Daily Mail confirms Keane took Villa's training session on Thursday before deciding to call time on his career with the 16th-placed Premier League side. The authoritative figure oversaw just three domestic wins during a six-month spell in which he was rarely out of the headlines.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

The release of Keane's autobiography brought a whirlwind of attention his way earlier in the season. He spoke out against former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as many ex-colleagues and team-mates, to further supplement his standing as one of the sport's most fearsome characters.

Keane also sparked controversy when denying Jose Mourinho's handshake before the end of Villa's loss to Chelsea. He suggested the Portuguese manager "plays too many mind games," per James Olley of the London Evening Standard.

The Irishman was recently in the news after allegedly refusing to sign a fan's copy of his autobiography. Luke Edwards of The Telegraph reports the supporter in question was Frank Gillespie, who wrote his own book on Keane three years ago. Gillespie reportedly "fell and injured himself" during a verbal exchange, prior to an ambulance and the police being called.

Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

Keane doesn't possess the best record of maintaining his jobs. He resigned as Sunderland boss in 2008 after 27 months, and he was later sacked at Ipswich four months short of the two-year mark.

He joined the Ireland national setup last year and has helped the team solidify joint second in their Euro 2016 qualifying group. Keane's attention is certainly best suited to focusing on one role.

The single-minded leader can now give his full energy to helping Ireland qualify after missing out on a place at the 2014 World Cup.