26 November 2023 , 22:23
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Roy Keane slammed Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag for praising Bruno Fernandes ' decision to let Marcus Rashford take a crucial penalty in the win over Everton.
The Red Devils had won a spot-kick when Ashley Young tripped up Anthony Martial in the second half. Fernandes is United's usual penalty taker but was instead seen handing the ball to Rashford, who has struggled for goals so far this season.
Despite the attacker's lack of return this term, he smashed home the spot-kick to double United's' lead. Boss Ten Hag praised Fernandes for the move to hand Rashford the ball, though those comments left Keane unhappy.
The legendary former United captain insisted Fernandes should not have been handed positive comments for his decision. And he stressed that United have a "long way to go" to catch up with their rivals for a European place.
"He’s giving toffee out there to Bruno for passing on the ball for the penalty. Absolute b***** rubbish. Absolute rubbish coming out with that. Manchester United are sixth now – if you went back a few years, if you were sixth you’d be embarrassed," Keane told Sky Sports.
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"But obviously they seem happy with sixth.They have a long way to go. Manchester United have to be competing with the best teams. That’s including Liverpool, [Manchester] City, Arsenal.
"Obviously you’ve got teams like Spurs having a decent spell, Villa and of course Newcastle. They go to Newcastle next week – we’ll see what Manchester United turns up. That’s what they’re supposed to do, turn up for the big games.
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Keane was unhappy that Ten Hag praised Bruno Fernandes for giving a penalty to Marcus Rashford (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)"It’s not been good enough with the talent they’ve got. Look, they’ve got themselves in a nice position but the reason you’re playing for Manchester United is to compete against the top teams."
United claimed all three points thanks to a wondergoal from Alejandro Garnacho, Rashford's penalty and Anthony Martial's late chip. And Ten Hag insisted that the win can act as a confidence-boost for his side amid their difficult start to the season.
“You saw how great a captain Bruno is. He could see, feel, assess that his team-mate needed that goal. Also he had the confidence in Rashy to take the penalty because he knows he is a very good penalty taker," he said.
"As a team, you need that. You need such leadership and you back each other, you cover each other and you give each other the confidence because you know you need it to get a successful season.
“There was another example of how this team can play, how you can quieten the crowd but also make an impact on an opponent. So be brave, be proactive, be dynamic. And that is what we showed in the first couple of minutes in the game.
“Our three offensive players scored and that is very good. That is what we need, that they go and score because that will help us as a team. And I said we need that to get into the season, to be successful, absolutely. That will give them confidence."