Former Sky Sports host Richard Keys takes another dig at broadcaster’s coverage

30 October 2023 , 16:06

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Former Sky Sports host Richard Keys takes another dig at broadcaster’s coverage

The disdain that Richard Keys has for Sky Sports shows no sign of relenting with the football presenter now taking aim at their reporting of Manchester United.

Keys, 66, was the face of the broadcaster's live Premier League football coverage for almost two decades, before being dismissed in acrimonious circumstances in 2011. Along with pundit Andy Gray, Keys was sacked after derogatory off-air comments about female assistant referee Sian Massey were publicly leaked.

A number of other sexist remarks made by Keys and Gray also came to light. The pair have since moved to the Middle East to work for beIN Sports, and have continued to be forthright with their views on football.

The bitterness of Keys towards Sky has frequently been apparent, regularly criticising the station for its coverage and use of pundits. And in his latest blog, he's implied that a number of former United players have been reluctant to be honest about the plight currently facing manager Erik ten Hag.

"If Newcastle beat them in the Carabao Cup this week Ten Hag might be lucky to survive," he wrote. "There’s a lot of anger out there now, although the class of ‘92 continue to give him an easy ride. I don’t agree with Jamie Carragher often, but he’s right when he says the guys would‘ve destroyed Mourinho - or similar - by now."

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Keys appears to be directing the criticism at Sky pundit Gary Neville, one of the six youngsters from the famous 'class of 92' group that came through at Old Trafford. Neville has vociferously called for the Glazer family to leave the club, arguing the US owners are making it difficult for the manager and players to operate.

Richard Keys has taken another shot at Sky Sports (BeIN Sports)

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Roy Keane, while not technically one of the 1992 graduates, also works for Sky alongside Neville. Paul Scholes regularly appears in the studio with TNT Sports, and in the summer praised Ten Hag for making positive changes at the club in his first 12 months in charge.

On the contrary, Keys has been a huge critic of the Dutchman. Upon his arrival at Old Trafford he labelled him 'Erik ten Months', a jibe that implied he'd be sacked within a year at the Premier League club.

The former Ajax boss finds himself under growing pressure following the one-sided Manchester derby on Sunday. Champions City prevailed 3-0 at Old Trafford, leaving their rivals eighth in the table.

Fraser Watson