MANCHESTER United captain Roy Keane is due to give evidence in court on Tuesday after allegedly grabbing a teenager then throwing a punch at his face.

The Irish international will appear in his defence on the second day of his trial at Trafford Magistrates Court in Greater Manchester.

Keane, aged 33, grabbed his 16-year-old alleged victim by the neck while shouting in his face after the boy insulted the footballer using an obscene gesture.

The teenager, who gave evidence via a video link on the first day of the trial, denied making the story up so he could go to the press or sue the multi-millionaire footballer.

The two had clashed after the student rode his moped with a friend, aged 17, near Keane's £1.4 million mansion in Hale, Cheshire, last September, the court heard.

Keane was walking his dogs when the youngster beeped his horn to acknowledge the star, he told the court. But as he passed the footballer, Keane swung out with a stick he used while walking his dogs.

The 6ft 2ins teenager drove past, turned round and made a "gesture" with his hand towards Keane.

Weeks later the youngsters, who could not be named for legal reason, were on their mopeds again visiting a house across the road from Keane's home and the footballer confronted the youngster.

Keane asked the teenager why he had abused him.

The teenager replied: "Because you nearly hit me, you swung for me with your walking stick."

He told the court: "The next thing he did was swing at my face with his right fist. He said, "that's nearly hitting you". I flinched backwards. I started to walk past him, he grabbed my arm and turned me around to talk to him as I was walking away."

Keane denies the charge of criminal damage for snapping the youngster's £2.99 silver neck chain. He also denies common assault and a public order offence on September 4 last year.