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Ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United may have dodged a bullet in the transfer market as Roy Keane says their former target Liam Delap is not only struggling with confidence at Chelsea but also ‘lacks real quality’.
United were keen to sign England U21 striker Delap following his promising season for relegated Ipswich Town.
Delap, who came through Manchester City’s academy, impressed in an Ipswich team that won just four games all season, scoring 12 goals in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old’s impressive form and the emergence of a £30m release clause led to Delap being linked with a number of top clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.
Manchester United were in the market for a new striker and were confident of bringing Delap to Old Trafford before Chelsea won the transfer race and secured his signature.
The £30m signing was seen as a real coup but Delap has endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring just once in the Premier League.
Asked whether Delap has been a ‘hit or a miss’ at Chelsea, former United captain Keane said on the Stick to Football podcast: ‘At the moment he’s obviously lacking confidence, and he lacks real quality doesn’t he?
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Chelsea summer signing Liam Delap (Picture: Getty)
‘Being a handful up front isn’t enough. But he’s only a young kid, you’ve got to give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m not writing him off but he’s been a miss so far.’
Keane’s ex-teammate Gary Neville added: ‘I think we all said at the start of the season that we wasn’t sure how he would do at Chelsea.
‘He’s got one goal in 17 league appearances, he was obviously injured for a period.
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‘When he [Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior] put him at right-wing against Arsenal, that was never going to work, you’re never going to score while he’s there. I guess that was to make it more difficult for Arsenal and it worked for a period.
‘There was one game, I can’t remember which one, but he came on and he looked a real handful.’
Ex-Chelsea defender Jason Cundy believes Stamford Bridge bosses may opt to send Delap out on loan next season, insisting he needs regular game-time to develop.
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Man Utd signed Benjamin Sesko last summer (Picture: Getty)
‘My guess would be that maybe Liam Delap goes on loan, that might be an option,’ said Cundy, who made 41 appearances for Chelsea.
‘He feels a bit raw, he’s only had one season in the Premier League. Maybe he needs to go and play every week.’
Delap came on as a late substitute in Chelsea’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Tuesday night.
The former Man City player will expect to get more minutes in Chelsea’s FA Cup clash with Rosenior’s former club Hull City on Friday night.
After missing out on Delap and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, Manchester United signed Benjamin Sesko in a £74m deal from RB Leipzig.
The Slovenia international endured an underwhelming start to his United career, scoring just twice in the first-half of the season, but has netted five goals in six games since Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Sesko’s latest goal was a brilliant injury-time equaliser in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, a result which extended United’s unbeaten record under caretaker boss Michael Carrick.
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