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Football

25th Apr 2019

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer responds to Roy Keane’s Manchester United rant

Keane pulled no punches

Darragh Murphy

Roy Keane held nothing back in his criticism of Manchester United on Wednesday night

Before and after the Manchester derby, which was won by Manchester City by a scoreline of 2-0, Keane was visibly exasperated by the recent shortcomings of his former club.

Before kick-off, it was suggested that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might see a reaction from his United players after Sunday’s humiliating defeat to Everton at Goodison Park but Keane dismissed that optimism in no uncertain terms and insisted that there are “too many bluffers at this club to get United back to the very top.”

Keane is of the belief that United’s current players would not hesitate to throw his former teammate, Solskjaer, under the bus in the same way that they did with the Norwegian’s predecessor, Jose Mourinho.

Motivation, standards and pride in the famous United badge were all subjects of conversation when Keane delivered a scathing assessment of the current state of the Red Devils squad and in his post-match interview, Solskjaer didn’t dispute the Irishman’s take.

“With Roy, I’ve always had a great relationship with him and I value his opinion very highly,” Solskjaer said. “We played together for many years and he’s a Man United guy. He hurts just as much as anyone else connected with the club.

“We’re so far behind City and it’s my job that when we come back in pre-season that I have the right characters in and around the club because it should never be allowed.

“When you’re at Man United, the highlight will be on you and you’ve got to make sure you come into work every single day with the effort like today. That’s your duty.”