Roy Keane declared that Manchester United are ‘playing like a small club’ after being held by Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Man United were outplayed in the first half at Old Trafford, and whilst Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo scored to turn the game on its head, Mohamed Salah’s penalty meant the game finished 2-2.
After the match, Erik ten Hag seemed positive in his post-match interview, which led to a quip from Keane, who was at Manchester United from 1994 until 2005, captaining the club from 1997.
Keane told Sky Sports: ‘Listen, obviously he’s had a couple of glasses of wine after the game. I don’t know how strong that is, but he seemed really upbeat, and I admire him for that, because he’s obviously seen something that I’m not seeing at this moment in time.’
He also said: ‘The way Man United are playing is like a mid table team, a small club, you don’t know what you’re going to get.’
He said that if Manchester United want to win the ‘big prizes’ once more, or even compete for them, they would have to turn up week-in, week-out, rather than relying on ‘a bit of excitement’.
Keane noted that they had lost 12 games, and had a goal difference of minus one, which he declared as ‘nowhere near good enough’.
While there was ‘potential at the football club’, the 52-year-old argued they were ‘way off’ from fighting with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the summit of the top-flight.
The Irishman said: ‘They are competing at this moment in time with Aston Villa and Spurs for that fourth and fifth position, and at this stage, they’re well behind them.
‘So I don’t get his positivity. Maybe that’s just me being a bit old and grumpy.’
He said he didn’t seen an ‘upbeat performance’ in the contest against Liverpool, particularly after his slating of the Man United showing at half-time, when they were 1-0 down to a Luis Diaz goal.
He gave the Red Devils ‘credit’ for two ‘very good’ goals from Fernandes and Mainoo, but felt that they were ‘far’ from making their way back to the good times, after conceding soft goals from set-pieces.
Keane felt that Man United were unlikely to challenge next season based on their current woes, and added: ‘I’m not sure it’s a real team out there.’
For his part, ten Hag bemoaned the ‘stupid mistakes’ that have cost Manchester United valuable points in their floundering bid for Champions League qualification – with the team dropping seven points from winning positions in their last three league games.
‘I have very mixed emotions,’ said Ten Hag. ‘On one side, I am disappointed that we have dropped seven points, but we have to blame ourselves for making stupid mistakes.
‘On the other side I am very proud. You see how we are improving and the potential of this squad is amazing.’
After three straight games where Man United have let go of a winning position and dropped points, they travel to Bournemouth on Saturday, eight days before their FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
