Man Utd suffer third defeat of season after losing 1-0 to Arsenal; New midfield diamond formation abandoned at half-time; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converts penalty conceded by Paul Pogba. Roy Keane has admitted he fears for Manchester United after their humbling 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, starkly concluding: “This team is nowhere near good enough.” After six games of the new season, United are just 15th in the Premier League table having already suffered three defeats – all of them at Old Trafford.
“I am really, really worried about Manchester United now,” Keane told Sky Sports after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty secured the Gunners a deserved victory. Where do you want me to start? A lack of energy, of enthusiasm, and a real lack of quality. That really concerned me. No quality, no composure. “Some of the performances were really poor. Have they turned a corner? It’s the longest corner ever. I am just not convinced by these players. I don’t see any leaders out there. There’s a real lack of quality. There’s a long way back for this club.”
United barely created a single goalscoring opportunity of note over the 90 minutes, with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood’s partnership failing to fire. United barely created a single goalscoring opportunity of note over the 90 minutes, with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood’s partnership failing to fire. “I looked at Rashford closely today. His body language was shocking,” continued Keane. “Shrugging his shoulders when things didn’t go his way? You roll your sleeves up when you play for Manchester United.”
Keane: ‘These players will lose Ole his job’ In a withering summary of United’s dismal start to the campaign, Keane added: “We were almost building up this season as make-or-break for Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], but at this moment in time it’s not looking good for him. I scratch my head at players who don’t have enthusiasm for a game of football. “Sometimes you say ‘there’s no reason to panic’. But the results and performances suggest you should be panicking. He says they are good boys and want to win but I judge a player by actions. My eyes don’t lie to me. The last disappointment was just a few weeks ago against Spurs – this teams reacts for a few weeks and get carried away with themselves.”
When asked if it’s the responsibility of the manager to get players motivated, Keane said: “Truthfully, no. I don’t think so. I never looked at a manager in my career before the match to motivate me, I’m talking about great managers and bad managers when I was eight or nine years old. “That comes from your DNA, what you stand for, your background, your family, your team-mates. I was intrigued by the warm-up, Edinson Cavani didn’t try a leg and he was tasked with getting Manchester United back in the game. “Ole will lose his job working with these players – that’s what is going to happen.”
