“Nobody mentions him, whether he’ll miss out.”
Roy Keane has been speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United, and has defended his former teammate against suggestions he is a ‘problem.’
Ronaldo scored the equalising goal for the Red Devils against Chelsea on Thursday at Old Trafford.
Chelsea outplayed the home side in the Premier League and the result did little to help United’s slim chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Roy Keane defends Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following the match, the focus switched to the problems besetting Man United and the club’s future.
Ajax coach Erik ten Hag will take over as the club’s new manager in the summer, and has several issues to address. Ronaldo’s future is expected to be one of the first questions for the Dutch to answer will have to answer.
The Portugal captain, 37, is widely considered to be a poor fit for Ten Hag’s high-pressing style of play.
However, Ronaldo’s former teammate Keane has defended the forward, and said there are other, more pressing, concerns in the United team.
Keane: Fernandes and Rashford press as much as Ronaldo.
The Irishman singled out Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford who have offered as much, or less, than Ronaldo when United have been out of possession this season.
“Fernandes doesn’t get the ball back for you, nobody mentions him, whether he’ll miss out,” Keane said on Sky Sports.
“Rashford doesn’t do nowhere enough, sometimes they go close them down, but he’s not really going after them, they’re kind of just going through the motions.”
🗣 "Fernandes doesn't get the ball back for you, nobody mentions him whether he'll miss out."
Roy Keane on the individuals at Manchester United that need changing at the club pic.twitter.com/Sw6QJ7MMEP
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 28, 2022
“We saw that again tonight,” Keane continued.
“We saw the amount of chances that Chelsea were creating, players going through the motions.”
Keane then compared Man United’s lacklustre attempts to press with Liverpool and Manchester City who, according to the Irishman, ‘hunt in packs’.
“Throughout the season, and I’m not just talking about the good teams, even the lesser teams, are creating so many chances against United. It’s not good enough.
Keane: Ten Hag will be having sleepless nights watching United.
Keane was asked how Ronaldo will fit in under Ten Hag.
The Sky Sports pundit said that the new United manager should find a place for the forward given his goal scoring record.
“He’ll be having a sleepless night watching the team,” Keane said about Ten Hag.
Jamie 🗣 "17 goals for him this season, some return for somebody not having a good season."
Roy 🗣 "He's such a big problem for United, scoring goals week in, week out, it's not good."
Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp on Cristiano Ronaldo for #MUFC pic.twitter.com/oRCRW0YjkU
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 28, 2022
“I just think if you’ve got a player in your group, who can score that amount of goals, they have to be involved. Ronaldo will want to play week in week out, and that’ll be the problem.
“And if the new manager comes in, whether he’ll be looking for a new striker… Ronaldo won’t be hanging around unless he’s playing week in and week out.
🗣 "He'll be having a sleepless night watching the team."
Roy Keane on Erik ten Hag watching Man United tonight and whether he will keep Cristiano Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/vuUAcowJUe
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 28, 2022
