Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has made scathing comments against Erik ten Hag and the United players while defending Cristiano Ronaldo in an impassioned tirade.
The TV pundit didn’t mince words when he came to Ronaldo’s aid and criticized the Dutch boss for his handling of the situation.
At work after United’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea, Keane got into a heated debate with his former teammate Gary Neville and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank that got out of hand.
Keane said: “He [Ten Hag] he’s talking about spirit after the game, don’t you think that’s a message for Ronaldo? The [Ronaldo] he certainly feels that he has been treated unfairly. When you get that as a senior professional, it’s almost justified anger.”
“Ten Hag obviously has big decisions, he has to win football games but he doesn’t win enough, Manchester United are fifth in the league.”
“They [Manchester United ] I beat Spurs the other night and I thought they won the European Cup. They beat the Spurs. They beat them last year and Ronaldo scored a hat-trick”.
The 51-year-old reiterated his reasoning that Ronaldo should have been in the matchday squad and even started.
He added that if the 37-year-old started regularly for the Red Devils, he would be top scorer.
Even after being confronted by Neville and Hasselbank, who stressed that the team plays better in the Portuguese’s absence and that not many supporters would have him in the team, Keane said he didn’t care what the fans thought and would still make room for him. Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s discussion could last all night… ???????? pic.twitter.com/9X8utFxpGu
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 22, 2022
The moment Gary Neville angered Roy Keane over Cristiano Ronaldo ???? pic.twitter.com/FIMscJ25tL
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 22, 2022
He hinted that while players should be punished for their transgressions, as was the norm during his time, Ronaldo should avoid such punishment because “he offers something in return”.
Keane’s laughable comments will do little to convince fans who clearly endorse Ten Hag and his handling of the Ronaldo saga, as Neville himself points out.
It would be an inconceivable situation for a player, even of Ronaldo’s caliber, to be released after what he did. Unfortunately, the saga continues to ramble and has continued to overshadow the team’s progress.
