Roy Keane has divided people’s opinions as both a footballer and a pundit. Some think he is too harsh on this current crop of Manchester United players, whilst others believe as a former captain there are few more qualified to talk about the club than he is.
Having surrendered more points in their pursuit of the top four, Ralf Rangnick’s side was humiliated by rivals Manchester City in the derby. Looking back at it, United was lucky to escape with a 4-1 defeat, such as the current champions’ dominance.
United had performed valiantly in the last few derbies, with some memorable wins that influenced the title race. However, many believed given the money they spent over the summer, that the Red Devils should be in contention by now on the Bet exchange.
It’s almost been 10 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford and won their last Premier League title, but United look miles off their noisy neighbors, and Keane was quick to lay into the person that took to the field in that embarrassment at the Etihad.
“There were five or six players there who should never play for Manchester United again. It was shameful.” The Irishman said. “They’re so far behind the other teams.
“You hear noises all the time about things going on in the dressing room with a new manager coming in, but your own bit of pride eventually has to kick in at some stage.
“It was men vs boys as the old saying goes. They gave up and shame on them.”
In all fairness, Keane had a point as United was defensively inept. Despite investing heavily in the squad over the summer, Ole Gunnar Solskjær failed to get the best out of one of the most expensive teams in the league.
The likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo were all recruited to take United to the next level, when in fact they’ve gone backward if anything.
The defending against City was comical, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf having a track record of errors leading to goals, and with a midfield that was outrun in every department, it was blatant to see some of the names Keane had called out.
Paul Pogba doesn’t have long left on his deal, but you wonder who will pay his excessive wages, Fred looks like a deer in the headlights most weeks, with his good performance at Leeds only momentarily covering the large blemishes in his game, and Marcus Rashford is reportedly considering his future after a lack of game time, whilst Edison Cavani simply doesn’t want to play for the club.
This is a complete juxtaposition to Guardiola’s swashbuckling title leaders. It’s clear to see why they are so far ahead of Ragnick and co. — they simply want to win far more than the Red Devils.
From the way they press, to how they communicate and render United’s possession virtually useless, the performance was brilliant from City, even when Sancho equalized you never felt they would succumb to any kind of pressure. True champions-elect.
Keane went on to label United’s performance against City an embarrassment, saying “The worst thing that you could say about United is that they gave up,”
“United’s history has been built on character and personality when you’re up against it. I feel like I’ve been sitting here for two weeks.
“United were never going to get back into it. The white flag came up and the game was over. It was unthinkable.”