Roy Keane labels Marcus Rashford ‘a toddler’ in Man Utd blast after Spurs loss

Aug 20, 2023 at 3:34 AM
Roy Keane labels Marcus Rashford ‘a toddler’ in Man Utd blast after Spurs loss

Roy Keane was sometimes scathing of Manchester United‘s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday evening and picked out Marcus Rashford for explicit criticism. The Sky Sports skilled and ex-United captain was not impressed with Rashford’s physique language as he began as a centre-forward fairly than in his favoured left-wing function.

Keane felt Rashford lower a forlorn determine very early on on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Rashford has publicly admitted he prefers beginning out on the left however Erik ten Hag used the England worldwide by the center, as he did six days earlier in United’s Premier League opener in opposition to Wolves.

After Pape Matar Sarr and Lisandro Martinez’s personal purpose condemned United to defeat in north London, the no-nonsense Keane ranted: “I think Man United are the new Spurs. Desperate. Absolutely desperate. Biggest insult I always think about teams are teams who can’t do it away from home or players who aren’t up for it away from home.

“They’re a very good workforce and so they fancy it when the house followers are in entrance of them. They’ve obtained that help and that power. United go away right this moment, that second half – weak, no management, gave dangerous targets away. Spurs had been pretty, truthfully, all credit score 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’d be better today. They weren’t. We made the point they were fine the first half-an-hour but the game is 90 minutes.

“You’re clearly not going to dominate that lengthy however you have to present some perception, some want, some struggle. You’re bringing on Anthony Martial and these gamers – you would possibly as nicely deliver on Frank Stapleton and Norman Whiteside.

“Martial’s not going to get you out of trouble again. Rashford played through the middle again – usual stuff. He’s like a child up there. He’s obviously not happy playing through the middle and his body language, his first few touches in the game, suggested ‘I don’t want to play up through the middle.’

“But you must – you have to do a job for the workforce tonight. You’re wanting on the captain, the senior gamers, established worldwide gamers. Easy to play in opposition to – that is the most important insult I may give to those United gamers.”

Jamie Redknapp, stood alongside Keane, said: “Rashford did not look snug upfront. When you play him in his favorite place, vast left, he can lower inside and do his magic. Even that, that is not sufficient of an excuse.

“I want more from Marcus Rashford when he plays in that central position. It shouldn’t change that much for him. He should still be working harder than he did.”

Keane’s former Red Devils team-mate Gary Neville was on co-commentary duties for Sky Sports. And he was equally unimpressed with the efficiency of his former facet and just like the Irishman, took photographs at Martial.

When the striker got here off the bench, Neville reacted: “How long is Martial’s contract for? He’s been here forever – it’s like Groundhog Day!” And he stated of Spurs’ late second purpose: “It’s embarrassing from United, but excellent from Spurs.

“They [Tottenham] have dominated these pink shirts on this second half.” The former defender continued: “[Christian] Eriksen has come on to have the second quantity six possibility alongside Casemiro.

“Ten Hag wants a number six who can play alongside Casemiro and at the moment the club can’t get players out to be able to fund that – if they look at the first two weeks of the season, they have to fund it or there will be big problems.”

United now have three factors from a attainable six after their first two matches of the 2023-24 Premier League season. They return to motion at house to Nottingham Forest subsequent Saturday (3pm).