Roy Keane explains why Erik ten Hag will never make good on John Murtough vow
Roy Keane has stressed that it doesn't matter what style of play Erik ten Hag tries to implement at Manchester United if the players aren't up to scratch in the wake of their Champions League exit.
The Red Devils have failed to progress to the knockout stage and are now out of Europe altogether after finishing bottom of Group A. Their miserable campaign was concluded on Tuesday night with a 1-0 home loss to Bayern Munich.
United's early exit from Europe will only increase the pressure on Ten Hag, who has seen his team lose half of their 24 games in all competitions so far this term. The Dutchman is currently being questioned on all fronts, with club icon Gary Neville the latest to scrutinise United's style of play - but Keane is adamant that it all comes down to the standard of the players at his disposal.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane told Neville: “Man United's been too big for some of the players, obviously. Whatever about styles of play, maybe the move for some of the lads from Holland, sometimes it's a fact lads have gone to Man United and it's just too much for them. Simple as that.”
Keane's verdict flies in the face of comments made by the Manchester United hierarchy following Ten Hag's appointment last April. He was the mastermind behind one of Europe's most fluent, attack-minded teams in Ajax but has failed to implement that same swashbuckling style at Old Trafford.
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United have a long-standing relationship with exciting, attacking football - something that was absent during the reigns of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who favoured a counter-attacking approach.
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Roy Keane feels that some players can't cope with playing for a club like Manchester United (The Overlap)Football director John Murtough, though, indicated that Ten Hag's appointment would herald a return to the Manchester United DNA: the approach that saw the club become almost synonymous with success during Sir Alex Ferguson 's premiership.
He said in a club statement: “During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.
“In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.”
With 2024 looming large on the horizon, the attractive, attacking football that Ten Hag was associated with is absent. Keane's comments indicate that may not change anytime soon, either.
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