Rory McIlroy revealed that he was refused an autograph by Roy Keane - when the golfer was a child.
McIlroy was speaking to Sky Bet about his life in sport, and also discussed United given his support of the club.
Keane is now known for his dislike of certain fan behaviours, and it turns out that for Keane, that extended to McIlroy a couple of decades ago.
Mcilroy said: “I was down at the Parmer Links hotel and the Republic of Ireland team were staying there too. I saw one of my Manchester United heroes, Roy Keane, in the lobby, and I must’ve been around 12 years old, so I went over to him asking for an autograph – he looked up at me and said, “not today kid”, but it was okay as it didn’t make an impression on me.”
Looking back, the golfer understands that it is not always possible for people to give their time to fans who asked for autographs.
He added: “I have said no to fans before who have asked for autographs. I think we’ve all been in positions where we’ve been busy or we’ve had to take a phone call, when you’ve had to say no to someone. It’s hard to say no, and you try your best to give everyone time, especially younger people and kids.”