By Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor,
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has condemned the poor display of Fred and McTominay against Brighton & Hove Albion, asserting that the duo’s performances will not propel Red Devils to compete at the top of the Premier League.
Keane said both players’ performances highlight the slack in the midfield, a resultant effect of the decline in football intelligence exhibited especially by Fred.
“The [lack of] decision-making and football intelligence from midfield, particularly Fred,” Keane told Sky Sports.
According to Keane, he has been assessing both players’ contributions in the midfield and concluded they do not possess the essential qualities to rejuvenate Manchester United to the top.
The Irish continued: “I’ve been going on about it for a long time – Fred and [Scott] McTominay are not good enough.
“They won’t get Manchester United back competing at the top. We see it week in, week out. They’re not up to it,” Keane reiterated.
Also, former United midfielder and legend of the club, Paul Scholes has described the performance by the duo in midfield as ridiculous.
Scholes labelled their display in the central midfield position as shambolic which was easily spotted a few minutes after kickoff.
He said, “It was a shocking start for Man United and the first half was shambolic really.
“The signs were there right from the first few minutes that this was going to be bad,” he added.
Scholes retired in 2013 from Manchester United having played 499 Premier League games where he found the back of the net 55 times and provided 338 assists.
He noted that some of the moves McTominay carried out were laughable adding that the midfielder was lucky to have narrowly escaped being red-carded for a nasty challenge during the 2-1 defeat in Old Trafford by the Seagulls.
“McTominay was always trying to run with the ball, ridiculous. The quality in the middle of the pitch was really poor,” Scholes said.
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“I was happy he didn’t get sent off [for a high challenge] but I think he was slightly lucky. Again, he’s running with the ball, absolutely ridiculous.
“It could easily have been a red card. The quality in the middle of the pitch was nowhere near good enough but we’ve seen that for the last few years with these two players,” he added.
He advised the club manager Erik ten Hag to drop one of them, stressing that even this proposition is surplus to requirement.
Scholes continued: “With Fred and McTominay, he [Ten Hag] is going to have to go with just one of them but even one of them is probably too many.
”Fred gives the ball away all the time and McTominay trying to run with the ball constantly and then gives it away. Pass it to your best players! It’s not that difficult. It’s criminal on a day like today,” he lamented.
Manchester United are arduously working hard to bolster their midfield with the signing of Barcelona’s midfielder Frenkie de Jong but the Dutchman has refused to consent to United’s approaches.
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