Lord of the Dance
Roy Keane savages Manchester United, David De Gea and Jamie Carragher in terrifying Sky Sports debut
Sport

Roy Keane savages Manchester United, David De Gea and Jamie Carragher in terrifying Sky Sports debut

HELL HATH no fury like a Roy Keane scorned.

And if any further proof of that was required, fans were served with a timely reminder in the aftermath of Manchester United's 2-0 defeat to West Ham.

It was an occasion that saw Keane - a new addition to Sky Sports' ever-expanding team of former pros turned pundits - gave his former team both barrels.

But Manchester United weren't the only ones to come in for some of the hairdryer treatment from the Irishman.

Arsenal, Tottenham, David De Gea and, hilariously, Jamie Carragher all came in for short-shrift from the Premier League legend.

As ever with Keane, it made for great television with his savage insults from a busy night of football well worth revisiting in the cold light of day.

On Manchester United

“I don’t know where to start.

"I knew they weren’t in a great place but I am shocked and saddened by how bad they are. You can lose a game of football but everything about United was lacklustre.

“No quality. A lack of desire. A lack of leaders. A lack of characters. It is a long way back and it is scary just how far they have fallen.

“There was a feel-good factor for Ole at the start and he needs three of four transfer windows.

“But if you’re not getting results and lose matches like today, the pressure builds and builds. You won’t get time.”

“I have known Ole for a long time. I can tell looking at his eyes he is fuming and disgusted.

“He talks about characters and leaders but the proof is in the pudding.

“You go back to the basics of football, closing people down and sprinting to people and we didn’t see that today. That sums United up, for all their lack of quality and goal threat.

“I think Ole’s head must be spinning. The reality is, and I have said it for a couple of years, they’re just not good enough for Manchester United.”

“You’re playing for Man United to win. God help me if someone in our dressing room had said, ‘We can finish fourth. It’s a great achievement’. He would have been lynched.”

On David De Gea

"I'm not so sure. Listen, 'keepers can make mistakes. I've always worried about him every time I've watched him, the character side of things.

"He never seems to be commanding, not in his entire career, but I never get the impression that he's that type of character to put demands on the people around him.

"These are all big mistakes. The big test for goalkeepers at Manchester United is how you react to a mistake, and I think he's making far too many mistakes.

"It's just a personal matter. I was never convinced by the character side of him, putting demands on the people around him.

"Is he a technically good goalkeeper? Of course he is, but it's more the package. I've always had question marks over him."

On Arsenal and Tottenham

"A couple of weeks ago I'd have said I wasn't sure about the top four for United but having looked at Tottenham and Arsenal over the last few weeks, I think United should be expecting to finish fourth."

"It's there for the taking. It's there for a lot of teams and United, with the players that they have, should be capable of doing it."

On Jamie Carragher

Carragher: "Sometimes you just need that two or three players who can transform them. I think of Luis Suarez coming to Liverpool."

"For three or four years we were finishing sixth and seventh, where United are and then almost won the title.

"Sometimes that one player can make all the difference."

Keane: "Jamie, you said almost winning the title. You didn't win a title. You are talking about Manchester United here."

"Liverpool are still trying to bridge that gap."

Never change, Roy. Never change.