Keane spoke out on the Stick to Football podcast about the current situation at Manchester United , and in particular the pressure Erik ten Hag is experiencing. The United icon said he has ‘given up’ on the club, and pointed to problems in the culture within the squad as a major cause of the disappointing performances.
Manchester United have had a disappointing start to the season. After seven games, they are only fourteenth in the Premier league , with eight points. The worst start to a season ever. Things are also going badly in the Europa League , with a draw against Fc Twente. For Keane, that match against Twente was his turning point.
“After the game against Twente I was done with it. It was a very bad game. When you hear players say that it seemed like the opponent wanted it more than we did, then I give up,” said Keane. He stated that these kinds of statements from the dressing room make it clear why Ten Hag is under fire.
Culture Manchester United
He wondered out loud what the culture within the club still represents. “I would like to know what the atmosphere is like on the training field. Who still makes demands on each other, who supports the young players? Are the experienced players prepared to get the job done against a team like Twente, instead of saying that they wanted it more?” He emphasized that his old club always revolved around strong characters and good people, but that he no longer recognizes that in the team.
Keane finally also criticised Ten Hag’s tactical decisions, such as choosing Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt as centre-backs. “You can’t keep falling back on the players who are part of the problem,” he said. While he acknowledged that a manager sometimes has to be stubborn, he was sceptical about Ten Hag’s choices.
Keane expressed his disappointment with the general state of affairs within the club. According to him, Manchester United has ‘gone backwards’, despite all the investment. He believes that the leadership within the club is too focused on business decisions instead of making the right choices for football. “What I see at United now, and it may sound harsh, but I don’t see the right football people making the right decisions for the club.”
