‘They look like schoolboys!’ – Keane slams two Man United players after Tottenham defeat
Tottenham's midfield domination allowed them to seize control of the game in the second half on Saturday, and Keane singled out two Manchester United players for poor performances.
Roy Keane questioned Erik ten Hag’s training techniques and accused Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes of acting like schoolboys against Tottenham.
Tottenham’s second-half dominance resulted in two goals for Tottenham in north London. Pape Sarr scored from close range four minutes after the interval, with Lisandro Martinez redirecting the ball into his own net at the end.
Erik ten Hag’s team failed to offer a sustained threat going forward, with an ineffectual Marcus Rashford out of position and Alejandro Garnacho and Antony irritating on either wing. Fernandes and Mount offered little quality in midfield, leaving Casemiro vulnerable defensively once more.
Tottenham’s domination in the second half was led by Yves Bissouma and James Maddison, who controlled the midfield and produced chances. And Keane believes United’s midfield’s lack of fight allowed them to do so, adding that a lack of fitness in the last minutes indicates a conditioning concern.
“They just looked lightweight,” Keane said, according to Sky Sports. “When you’re out of possession, look at the six players high up the pitch; they’re giving you nothing.”
“You can almost carry one or two players who don’t give you much but can be game-changers, but United have too many players who aren’t really at it.” When these guys believe to themselves, ‘Right, I’ll excuse you for not doing the defensive stuff, but you better be really terrific when you’re getting on it,’ and they don’t.
“When I look at Mount and Fernandes when they are not in possession, they look like schoolboys!” They lack the physicality to recover the ball. We constantly make excuses for them; we’ve been told Ten Hag is a fantastic coach, but we need to see it for ourselves.
“They appeared flat here. I’m curious what they’re doing on the practice field. Are they overworking? They don’t appear to be energetic.
“Every time I watch United, they have a goal in them towards the end of games, but I didn’t feel that today.” When it was 1-0 or 2-0, I thought it was game over, and I’ve never felt that way about this Manchester United team.”
