Manchester United legend Roy Keane offered a burning assessment of his former team’s performance despite a hopeful 2-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League season.
While the result may have meant little in the grand scheme of things, with Man United ending the season in 15th place, it was at least a reason for optimism, given the team’s rare determined performance.
Numerous players who struggled in the UEFA Europa League final defeat did well to show up for the Old Trafford crowd, with Amad Diallo proving to be a standout player while Bruno Fernandes was back to his usual self.
Still, this bright performance was not enough to inject optimism into Keane.
“They can’t be any worse next year,” Keane said on Sky Sports when asked how he felt about manager Ruben Amorim’s speech to the Old Trafford crowd after the final whistle.
“They’ll have to improve. Obviously, a few players’ contracts are up. They’ll leave, they’ll go back to recruitment.”
“They certainly need to get players in who know, I think, the Premier League. I think the majority of signings over the last two or three years are players who have never played in the Premier League,” Keane explained, criticising the club’s current transfer strategy. “And they’ve struggled to adapt to it. Particularly when they’ve brought so many players in.”
“So I think they have to go back to basics and get some really good, proper, experienced players who know the Premier League and who are men and who are robust and who can turn up week in and week out and who can do a good job for Man United.”
When questioned about why he feels that way, Keane provided a simple answer: “I think when you bring so many players in from abroad who’ve not played in the Premier League, I think it’s a challenge.”
He then turned his attention to the declining calibre of the United lineup. “United are easy to play against and they’re easy to beat. To me, that’s the biggest insult on this United group at the moment.”
But while Keane had plenty to say about the players, he didn’t leave out Amorim in his scathing review.
“I’m intrigued when I hear a manager say we’re gonna have less games, as if that guarantees success,” he continued.
“Part of playing for a big club is more games,” Keane concluded, visibly annoyed by the claim that more free time would help to result in better preparation.
“‘I’ve got a free week with the players…’ and then they don’t back it up with a result, as if having a free week is always good for a football club.” You want to be busy, you want to be playing football. That’s where you learn, that’s where you get your experiences.”
“As if he’s going to produce a magic wand to turn some of these players into top players because he’s got a free week? That’s bizarre in itself,” Keane concluded.
While Keane may be just one voice, he raises an important point – not only about Amorim’s outlook but the club’s transfer strategy. Something has to change in order for United to return to their former glory.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
