Photo by Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has shown the scale of the challenge still left for Ineos at Old Trafford after the Red Devils’ mixed start to the new season.
Michael Carrick has overseen two wins from his opening six matches across all competitions, as Manchester United have lost three fixtures and picked up one draw.
United currently languish in 13th place in the Premier League table and the Red Devils have struggled to capture early momentum under Michael Carrick this season.
United manager Carrick is now under serious pressure going into the Red Devils’ final Premier League match before the start of the extended October break.
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Roy Keane’s feelings around Man Utd’s standard show where the Red Devils are failing to hit their mark
Manchester United’s results have been mixed under Michael Carrick, who is in his first full season as the permanent Red Devils head coach at Old Trafford. Carrick has seen Man Utd struggle to close out results when the momentum has been in their favour, including against Everton, Manchester City and Brighton.
United led Everton at two different points in their Premier League match before settling for a draw in the 2-2 clash at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this month. The Red Devils then suffered a 1-0 Premier League defeat to a 10-man Manchester City at Old Trafford before United fell to Brighton in a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat.
Speaking to The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Roy Keane has warned Ineos that United are underperforming to even the expectations of outsiders like himself.
“I think the whole standard has dropped at Man United,” he said.
“All the decision-makers, the way they’re treating fans, whatever is going on, the women’s team, the standards have dropped throughout the club.
“Even our expectations. Again, I see players and I see reactions after games, and yeah, they shouldn’t have conceded in the last minute against Everton.”
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Keane’s assessment raises a bigger problem for Man Utd beyond the easy throwback to when times were better under Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary reign at Old Trafford. The 55-year-old United legend says the systemic issue for the Red Devils extends to the identity of the team, including the standards that are being set on the pitch.
“And there’s still a bit of, ‘Oh, it wasn’t our day,’ but you make it your day,” he added.
“What does this team stand for? What does the club, what does Man United stand for? I think all the standards have 100 per cent dropped.
“So, we’re sitting here going, ‘Oh, they’re good, they might have been […],’ and even if they won against Everton, they’d be up to sixth or seventh, sixth or seventh!”
Ineos cannot simply put all the Red Devils’ problems on Carrick’s shoulders or fall behind the defence that this is still a ‘project in the works’ under Sir Jim Ratcliffe. But it is more about shifting United from being ‘unlucky’ on the night to playing high-intensity football and raising the standards time and time again for their fans.