Alan Shearer is arguably the greatest striker to have played in the Premier League era.

His tally of 260 goals puts him top of the charts of all-time strikes in England’s top flight - a record that won’t be beaten for a very long time. Well, until Harry Kane scores another 170-odd.

But Shearer may look back on his career with a tinge of regret.

Having won the Premier League title with Blackburn in the 1994/95 season, Shearer moved to his boyhood Newcastle - where he stayed for 10 seasons.

During that decade, he failed to win a single trophy.

But Shearer’s career could have been so different.

He was twice offered the chance to sign for Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson but twice rejected the opportunity.

One reason for Shearer not wanting to join United might have been a certain Roy Keane.

Shearer and Keane famously clashed back in 2001 during a match between Newcastle and United. It resulted in Keane throwing the ball at Shearer’s back before punching him as the pair squared up.

It was pretty nasty.

Watch: Keane and Shearer clash

Take a look:

That incident happened right at the end of the match - so what happened in the tunnel afterward?

Shearer explains what happened afterward

Well, on a recent YouTube podcast show called The True Geordie, Shearer revealed all.

“It was funny because when he walked off the pitch, it was only the last minute or two of the game,” Shearer said.

“He’d been given the red card and he was waiting for me at the top of the tunnel at St James’, we tried to get to each other but we couldn’t.

“It was like ‘hold me back, don’t hold me back’, but we couldn’t get to each other. It would have been interesting.”

Laughing, The True Geordie, said: “Personally, I think you would have knocked him out.”

“Of course I would have,” Shearer replied.

We wonder what would happen if they ever bumped into each other these days.