Richard Keys has claimed that Graeme Souness was sacked from his role at Sky Sports due to “clumsy” comments the Liverpool and Rangers great made at the start of the season – and predicted that the former Scotland internationalist will be back on UK screens before long.

Souness stepped down from his role as a pundit with the broadcaster after 15 years in the studio but writing in his column for the Scottish Daily Mail, the 70-year-old insisted that he remains ‘open for business’.

Writing in his personal blog, Keys – who was sacked by Sky Sports in 2011 for making sexist comments – revealed that he had been told by a ‘mole’ that Souness in fact had been dismissed for using the phrase ‘man’s game’ during a match between Chelsea and Spurs at the start of the campaign.

Keys explained: “Graeme Souness’s ‘retirement’ from Sky didn’t feel right to me - especially when I read his Daily Mail column suggesting he was still ‘open for business’.

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“A conversation relayed to me from a Sky ‘insider’ this week tells me I was right - he was sacked. Well - it was decided his race was run. Same thing really.

“I have to say immediately that I wouldn’t trust the individual who reported the info as far as I could throw him - but he’s made a career of man-marking senior management figures in order to protect himself so this time I believe him. His sources will be good.

“It turns out it was decided to dispense with Graeme’s services the moment he referred to football being a ‘man’s game’. Remember? He used that phrase after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw v Spurs in August.

“His comments caused a bit of a stir. He was clumsy in his phraseology. He didn’t mean harm, but you can’t say that anymore. Football is simply a game - enjoyed by everyone. And we should celebrate that.

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“I think most people felt that Graeme had been clumsy and he’s a much loved character, so they were happy to give him the benefit of the doubt - but senior management at Sky certainly weren’t. They decided that was it. He’d be out at the first opportunity.

“Two things will happen now. Sky will deny this and the mole will be making frantic calls trying to cover his tracks - but I will be proved right because Graeme is by no means finished. He will turn up somewhere - ITV perhaps - because he’s a classy operator and remains box office.”