Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Roy Keane slams ‘shameful’ Man Utd display, claiming up to six stars ‘should never play’ for club again

Roy Keane attending a match

Roy Keane blasted Manchester United players who “gave up” against Man City, claiming some should “never” represent the club again.

Man Utd were given a harsh lesson by their rivals in a 4-1 derby defeat. Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez both scored braces to emphasise City’s dominance after a controlling performance. It has served as a clear reminder that United are a long way off at present.

Their former captain Roy Keane has been highly critical of them at various stages this season, when they have struggled. And after seeing them lose in the manner they did against City, it was obvious what was coming in the Sky Sports studio.

According to Keane, the refusal of some United players to track back was typical of how they “threw the towel in” against their rivals, which he subsequently said was “unacceptable”.

“I think the worst thing you could say about United is they gave up,” Keane told Sky Sports. “For a player in a derby, or any game, to give up, it’s unforgivable really.

“The beauty of top-level sport is there is no hiding place. We saw all United’s shortcomings today.

“There’s ways to lose football matches, we’ve all lost football matches, but the way United lost today – they stopped running, they gave up, there’s players out there not running back.

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“That’s what I don’t understand. The manager will be criticised, and the tactics, but players not running back when they are playing for Man Utd is unacceptable, it really is.

“They threw the towel in, which is shameful.

‘Shame on them’

“I was getting really frustrated watching it. I can forgive mistakes, but you’ve got to run back.

“There were players, five or six players, and I was thinking they should never play for Man Utd again. Just shameful, shameful that you can’t run back, that you can’t put your body on the line.

“A couple of lads in midfield, (Aaron) Wan-Bissaka, Fred, (Marcus) Rashford came on. I could go on. And City weren’t even at their best – they didn’t have to be.

“They gave up – shame on them!”

 


‘No excuses,’ says Roy Keane

Keane thinks there will be several statements from United players in the coming days, but they do not interest him.

What’s more, he believes supporters will see through any messages that arrive. The response should instead come on the pitch, which is not happening.

Instead, Keane is perceiving ego problems from within the dressing room, seeping into their performances.

“I don’t know who’s running that dressing room,” he added. “Look at (Harry) Maguire, he had a poor game, is he having battles with (Cristiano) Ronaldo, captaincy and all these things?

“Egos come into it, you leave egos at the front door. These guys are all about, ‘how am I looking? Are my boots nice? Is my hair looking good?’ Play the game!

“You’re at Man Utd. We’re looking at the fans behind the goal and they know, they’re not daft, this team we’re supporting have given up. They’re watching their team and seeing they’re not fighting. There are no excuses.

“We’ll hear a load of rubbish over the coming days, we’ve heard it before. There’ll be statements, ‘sorry about that, we’ll try it again next week’.

“It’s what you do on the pitch that interests me, not all the other garbage.”

In that regard, next up for United is a home match against Tottenham on Saturday. Then, they are due to face Atletico Madrid in the return leg of their Champions League Last-16 tie.

They will be two more tough games, which could have consequences for the season. Therefore, it is a critical moment and they will need to find a reaction. However, Keane does not seem too convinced it will come.

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