Manchester United legend Roy Keane has been labelled an “angry man” and a “prat” after his “clickbait comments” on Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
♦ Keane continues to criticise Haaland
♦ Man Utd legend has a history with Haaland’s father
♦ Accused of still holding a grudge
WHAT HAPPENED?
Keane initially made headlines when he likened Haaland’s link-up play to that of a League Two player following a match where the Norwegian striker failed to score in Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal. This remark drew widespread attention and criticism for its perceived harshness and lack of merit. Keane later revised his assessment, upgrading Haaland’s performance to a Championship level after the prolific striker notched his 21st goal of the season in a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
WHAT AGBONLAHOR SAID
Gabriel Agbonlahor, a former Aston Villa forward who worked under Keane during the former midfielder’s tenure as assistant manager for the club, has rubbished his assessment of Haaland, telling Razed: “He can be a bit of a prat sometimes. I think it was a bit over the top, but he likely said it tongue in cheek. I worked with him at Aston Villa, and he can say a few things for the sake of it. His comments on Erling Haaland were clickbait comments because Haaland wasn’t brought to Manchester City to get involved.
“You’ve got Bernado Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Mateo Kovacic, and all of these players who can get into little holes, number 10 positions while Haaland was brought in to get goals and put it in the back of the net. Last season he was top goalscorer, this season he’s top goalscorer so what more do you want from him? Because his first touch might not be amazing or when he comes short, he may give it away? Look at the weekend, he gets the ball, and the defender thinks he’s going to go on his left foot, but scores with his right foot bottom corner.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Agbonlahor suggested that Keane’s comments may have their roots in his longstanding rivalry with Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge which started from a contentious incident during a match in 1997. During a match between Leeds United and Manchester United, Alf-HInge believed Keane was feigning injury and confronted him angrily. It was later revealed that it was a serious injury which affected the cruciate ligament of the knee.
Years later, in 2001, when Haaland was playing for Manchester City, Keane made a reckless knee-high tackle on him that ultimately ended his professional career prematurely. This incident fuelled the animosity between the two players and became emblematic of their rivalry.
Agbonlahor said: “I bet Erling Haaland has seen this criticism and is laughing. Has it come from Roy Keane because of what he did to Erling Haaland’s father and the relationship there? Some people don’t forget things and they’ve got something against a family member and then have it against his son. Maybe that’s where it’s come from.”
The former Villa star added on his own relationship with Keane in their days together at Villa: “I felt he was not a bully but very over the top with players and a few of the players didn’t have it off him. He ended up leaving because he couldn’t handle the fact that some players gave him some stick back. It was a shame because I was excited when he came but he was a dreadful coach and an angry man. The Roy Keane on Sky is completely different from the Roy Keane as a coach.”
WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?
Despite the criticism from Keane, Haaland leads the Premier League Golden Boot race with 21 goals. He will next be in action against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their upcoming fixture before concluding the season with matches against Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham. Additionally, they are slated to compete against Manchester United in the FA Cup final, presenting an opportunity for Haaland to add to his already impressive trophy haul with City.