Roy Keane dropped telling verdicts on Matheus Cunha and another Manchester United player after the Premier League result against Aston Villa on Sunday evening.
Manchester United performed well against Aston Villa at the weekend, despite Ruben Amorim and his men walking away from Villa Park empty-handed.
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Villa were on the back foot against United in the first half before Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock with a fantastic curling strike into the corner of the net.
However, United rallied back against Villa minutes later and Matheus Cunha stepped up in injury time and cancelled out Morgan Rogers’ first-half opener on Sunday.
However, Rogers made an impact for the second time after the break, with the 23-year-old winger netting Villa’s winner with another stunning effort from long range.
Roy Keane’s stance on Matheus Cunha after Man Utd’s Premier League defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park
Manchester United star Matheus Cunha produced a superb curling finish to beat Aston Villa No 1 Emiliano Martinez from close range after a Matty Cash mistake.
Despite the 26-year-old Brazilian forward netting for United at Villa Park, Cunha was wasteful in the match and missed a clear-cut header to score another equaliser.
The former Wolves ace, who has been a key first-team player for United manager Ruben Amorim, saw out the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Villa Park.
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Roy Keane praised Cunha for his impact in the first half against Villa, but he was also puzzled at how the summer signing missed the chance to complete his brace.
“It’s more than potential, he’s [Cunha] the real deal,” he said on Sky Sports.
“It was never in doubt [the goal], it’s a brilliant finish. And then he misses a sitter in the second half, which defies logic, really. It’s hard to see how he missed that.”
Roy Keane’s feelings on Matheus Cunha are not the same when it comes to Man Utd star Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot was deployed as the right-wing back in Amorim’s tactical system for United after Amad Diallo departed for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The 26-year-old Portuguese right-back saw out the full 90 minutes against Villa and United legend Keane was critical of Diogo Dalot’s defending in the match.
“They’ve got to be more intense when they’re defending, there’s got to be a bit more pride,” Keane explained on Sky Sports.
“I look at Dalot there, he’s getting interviewed after the game. Dalot, for the second goal, the intensity or desire to stop the cross.
“These are big moments in a football match. It ends up being a poor cross, but Aston Villa [are] playing with confidence and belief, make the most of it.”
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The Sky Sports pundit also added: “You can have all the talent in the world, we mention it time and time again, but you’ve got to roll your sleeves up and when the game gets a bit tight or there’s moments, you just go, ‘I’m going to do my bit for the team.’
“There’s too many players, like Dalot, who just don’t do enough. I won’t use the word ‘cheating,’ but they just not doing enough.
“After the game, I’d be looking at him [and] I wouldn’t be looking at other bits of the game. I’d say, ‘Are you going to stop him?’
“Same for the first goal. When Rogers gets the ball wide on the first goal. We’re all sitting here. We know there’s danger, do they not know there’s danger?”
United’s final two matches of 2025 will be played at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils hosting Newcastle on Boxing Day before facing Wolves on 30th December.
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