Manchester United legend Roy Keane has slammed the Red Devils after their disappointing defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at home.
Manchester United and Tottenham battled it out in a closely-contested affair during the first half, but Spurs were clearly a level above their opposition in the second half and they deservedly picked up all three points, which has rubbed Roy Keane the wrong way.
Keane believes that Manchester United were lacking in desire, fight and leadership throughout the game. The Irishman slammed the players for their lack of effort while lambasting Marcus Rashford for his attitude during the game.
Rashford was made to play as a centre forward against Tottenham, and the England international was clearly not comfortable in that role. He is more suited to the left wing role but had to lead the line for his side yesterday.
Keane believes that Rashford should just worked hard and got on with the job. He also reckons that the England international striker has a responsibility towards his team and should have performed better. Rashford was seen fuming on the Manchester United bench after his late substitution.
Keane said (h/t talkSPORT). “I think Man United are the new Spurs. Desperate, absolutely desperate. The biggest insult I always think about with teams is teams who can’t do it away from home or players who aren’t up for it away from home.”
🗣 "I think Man United are the new Spurs… DESPERATE" 😬
Roy Keane is NOT happy! 😡 pic.twitter.com/L0KjpkB7ht
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 19, 2023
“They’re a good team when they fancy it, when their fans are up for it at home and they’ve got that support and that energy, but United go away today and they were weak. No leadership, gave bad goals away. Spurs were lovely, all credit to Spurs, but United, it’s easy to play against them. I said before the game they were poor against Wolves but they got the result and they would be better today. They weren’t.”
“They were fine the first 30 minutes but the games well over 90 minutes. You’re not going to dominate that long but you’ve got to show some belief and desire, fight. They’re bringing on [Anthony] Martial, they’re bringing on these players… you might as well bring on Frank Stapleton and Norman Whiteside, Martial’s not going to get you out of trouble!”
“Rashford played up through the middle again, the usual stuff, he’s like a child up there, he’s obviously not happy playing up there, and his body language and first few touches suggested he wasn’t happy up there, but you have to, you’ve got to do your job for the team. Easy to play against, that’s the biggest insult I can give to these United players.”
The Red Devils have signed Rasmus Hojlund this summer, and the Denmark international should be the first-choice centre forward at the club in the coming weeks. However, he will need time to adapt to his new surroundings, and Rashford might have to fill in as the centre forward until then.
It will be interesting to see if Manchester United can bounce back strongly and send out a statement in their next game. There is no doubt that they have a quality squad, but they have been unconvincing in their first two matches this season.
They will have to improve immensely to push for the league title and do well in the UEFA Champions League. Erik ten Hag will be frustrated with the performance of his players as well. Tottenham clearly outplayed them in the second half and could have easily won with a bigger margin.
In addition to the poor performances, Manchester United will be disappointed with the goals they conceded. Both goals were avoidable, and the Red Devils will have to do better against the top teams in the coming weeks.
