Roy Keane has insisted that the ‘sacrifice’ one of his former Manchester United teammates made is the perfect example of what Ruben Amorim lacks in his squad.
Manchester United were in action against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon and the Red Devils secured a Premier League point at Old Trafford on the weekend.
Ruben Amorim’s men struggled to make an impact — the same can be said for Manchester City — in the final third, despite their clear-cut chances in the match.
United and Pep Guardiola’s side played out a lacklustre 0-0 scoreline at Old Trafford in the final Manchester derby clash in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils are 13th in the Premier League table and Ruben Amorim’s side are one point ahead of Tottenham after United’s encounter with City on Sunday.
United have managed 10 wins in 31 matches and the Red Devils have only seven matches left to avoid their worst league finish since the Premier League’s formation.
What Man Utd legend Roy Keane pointed out about Ruben Amorim’s players after the Manchester City match is a real eye-opener
Speaking on Sky Sports, Roy Keane was deeply critical of Manchester United’s lack of firing power in the final third after a turbulent 2024-25 Premier League season.
Both Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have struggled in the final third and Ruben Amorim has lacked a regular goalscoring option at Old Trafford this season.
Keane singled out former United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the type of player who showed his incredible work ethic both on the ball and off it.
The 53-year-old Sky Sports pundit highlighted fellow United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s desire during his famous red card against Newcastle in 1998.
“Manchester United can still be more of a goal threat,” Keane said.
“The couple of strikers United have at the club are not good enough for United, but there are other players on the team.
“There are wide players, defenders can score goals, there are set pieces. The goal they have away at [Nottingham] Forest the other day, you have an opposition player running 70 or 80 yards.
“Yes, you can say it’s a great run and great goal, but someone’s got to tackle him. Have a desire to dig deep and get a result!
“It has to come from the manager and the staff, the certain leaders they have in the dressing room.
“I’m not saying they all have to be like that – but they have experienced players there. Maguire, Casemiro, Fernandes – do they get a grip of these players?
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once ran 70 to 80 yards to chase someone down and got sent off. They made sacrifices for the team.
“The sacrifices for the attacking players could be making a run, making a good ball out of a bad ball.”
Roy Keane was critical of how Man Utd players under Ruben Amorim reacted after the Manchester City result at Old Trafford
Keane pulled no punches towards the current Red Devils players and the legendary former United captain criticised what he saw after the Manchester City match.
“I see the United team today,” he continued.
“They’re all applauding and they’re being interviewed and they said, ‘Draw is not too bad.’ A draw gets you nowhere fast!
“I know United beat Leicester [City] and Real Sociedad – but you look at the last few games and you go, ‘This is not enough, this is not good enough.’
“Forget the United teams I played for, forget the top three or four teams, competing with Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Wolves?
“Are you telling me Manchester United should be behind them? The majority of these players should be doing better than the teams I just mentioned.”
United will now resume their Europa League campaign with their first-leg quarter-final clash against Lyon on Thursday, with kick-off planned for 8pm UK time.
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