Sky Sports pundit puts head in hand after Man Utd icon Roy Keane makes public U-turn over Erling Haaland live on TV
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Roy Keane claimed Erling Haaland performed like a Championship player during Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
The former midfielder likened Haaland to a League Two player last month.
Following City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal, he said: “The levels of his general play is so poor and not just today.
“I think laying stuff off, headers, whatever it might be. In terms of in front of goal, he’s the best in the world.
“But his general play for such a player is so poor. Not just today, he has to improve.
“He’s almost like a League Two player, that’s how I look at him. His general play, it has to improve and it will do over the next few years.”
However, Keane changed his mind at the weekend and instead suggested that he was more like a “Championship” player.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the United icon said: “He was very much like a Championship player.
“He’s improved a lot. In terms of goalscoring, he’s absolutely amazing. He took three or four touches there and the defender is on the back foot.
“There is no doubting his quality. You’re looking at players coming off the bench, he’d be frustrated and when he’s coming on he wants to have an impact on the game.
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“When the game is stretched like that and you’ve got people like [Kevin] De Bruyne, he’s going to find you.”
Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal star Paul Merson was left with his head in his hands after listening to Keane’s claim.
Haaland came off the bench to score for Man City in the 71st minute.
Pep Guardiola‘s side went on to win 2-0, piling the pressure on title rivals Arsenal.
City now sit second in the Premier League table, one point adrift of the Gunners with a game in hand.
Klopp copied Fergie's 'biggest mistake' and it's derailed his final season, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
JURGEN KLOPP was genuinely surprised to hear it, on the January day when he announced his intention to quit Liverpool at the end of the season.
It was put to him that Sir Alex Ferguson had told his Manchester United players in the summer of 2001 that the coming season would be his last.
Ferguson later performed a U-turn and stayed at Old Trafford for another 11 years.
But the great Scot admitted that revealing his intentions had been the ‘biggest mistake I made’.
“I think a lot of them put their tools away,” said Ferguson, “They thought, ‘Oh, the manager’s leaving’.”
It was a part of English footballing history which Klopp knew nothing about and he raised his eyebrows when he was told about it.
Liverpool were top of the Premier League, having lost only a single domestic match all season – and that a controversial VAR-infested affair at Tottenham.
But their form has nosedived since, with dreams of a farewell quadruple long gone.
And Klopp may well now be reflecting on the wisdom of his announcement.
Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.
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