IT will be a case of history repeating itself for Sunderland new-boy Danny Higginbotham later today - he will be back at Old Trafford fearing a tongue-lashing from Roy Keane.

Higginbotham spent the first three years of his career as a Manchester United trainee, a spell that brought him into regular contact with the current Black Cats boss.

As a fresh-faced teenager, the versatile defender admits to having been in awe of Keane as he took his first tentative steps in the professional game.

And while his career has taken him to Derby, Southampton and Stoke since he left Old Trafford in 2000, he has lost none of his admiration for a character who continues to command respect and reverence in equal measure.

"My abiding memory is that, as a young lad, you just had so much respect for Roy Keane," said Higginbotham, who completed a £3m move from Stoke on Wednesday.

"There was respect, but there was also fear with the respect because of the player he was and the aura he had around him.

"I don't mean fear as in you were terrified of him - I just mean it was a massive amount of respect. I was fortunate enough to speak to him on a few occasions as a young lad - he didn't live too far away from me - and the advice he gave was always much appreciated.

"I was only 19 or 20, but he was always there if you needed him for a chat or anything like that. He was a massive personality in the game but he was always available if you needed someone to talk to."

Like most of Keane's former team-mates, Higginbotham was also quick to discover that the Irishman was hardly reticent in delivering put-downs if he felt a team-mate's attitude or commitment was not quite what it could have been.

The Manchester-born defender was no stranger to a tongue-lashing, but despite Keane's combustible streak, the former United skipper remained one of the most popular figures in the Old Trafford dressing room.

While other players spouted their opinions from the sidelines, Keane ensured that his actions were commensurate with his words.

"It's not as though he was one of the players who would just stand around and have a go at people," explained Higginbotham. "If he had a go at you, you would take it and accept it because you respected the way he carried himself.

"You could do nothing but learn from him. He wouldn't just have a go at people for the sake of it.

"Yes, he would have a dig if he needed to, but he would also tell you when you'd done well.

"He'd tell it like it was and I think that's how it should be. Honesty is a massive thing in football. If he gave you a compliment, you knew you'd done well.

"There would be times when he wasn't happy with what you'd done but, as a footballer, you had to accept that and move on. If you take criticism in the right way, it will make you a better player."

A desire to improve as a player was integral to the £3m deal that took Higginbotham to Sunderland this week. While some players have refused to uproot to the North-East this summer, Keane's involvement at the Stadium of Light meant the 28-year-old was desperate to move to Wearside from the moment a possible move was mooted.

With Stoke determined to earn a significant fee for the sale of their club captain, there were times when it appeared as though he would be forced to remain in the Potteries.

But with a deal finally being agreed on Wednesday, Higginbotham is now delighted to be back among the Premier League elite.

"In an ideal world, I would like to have been here a while ago," he said.

"But Stoke wanted to get the best deal for themselves and that's understandable.

"Thankfully, the situation has ended now and it's come to a positive conclusion.

"I'm here now and I can concentrate on playing football."

Higginbotham's arrival came just 24 hours after the Black Cats slumped to a humiliating Carling Cup defeat at League One Luton, but the defender is confident that his new employers are capable of turning their season around.

"From my experiences of playing against Sunderland last year, they're a team that's full of character," he said.

"They never throw the towel in, as we found out when we played them at the Stadium of Light. It was a good performance from us, but they still equalised in the last minute and could have gone on to win the game.

"The strength of character here looks very good. They had a good result against Tottenham and followed that up at Birmingham.

"Okay, they've had a couple of not-so-great results since then, but there are always going to be ups and downs over the course of a season."