"Teams are going to Old Trafford now and enjoying it" - Roy Keane believes Manchester United don't strike 'fear' into their opponents anymore
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has claimed that the Red Devils have lost their fear factor and that opposition teams now enjoy themselves at Old Trafford.
It hasn't been the best of starts for Manchester United this season. Erik ten Hag's men have struggled to produce decent results since the campaign kicked off and it looks like 2023-24 could be another disappointing season.
Commenting on the club's struggles, Roy Keane noted that the Premier League giants no longer strike fears into the minds of their opponents. He said (via Mirror):
"You're Manchester United, the onus is on you, even when you’re at home – flex your muscles and, more importantly, put fear in their opponents' mindsets. But teams are playing United now and there's no fear anymore. I think teams are going to Old Trafford now and enjoying it."
Roy Keane went on to claim that Manchester United aren't playing well as a team, citing their recent 2-0 win against Wigan in the FA Cup to drive home his point.
"They don’t really play as a team and I don’t know if the players are taking on the manager’s ideas," he continued. "When you look at United, you don’t know what you're going to get. I watched their game last week against Wigan and you’re thinking 'they’ll certainly dominate and score four or five goals'.
“Even then, they had to get a penalty to get over the line. They weren’t great in possession."
“It’s as if they're not athletic enough. I think there’s obviously an element of fear from the team – they go 'we're better sitting in'. There's nothing wrong with sitting in if you're doing brilliant going forward, but they're not scoring the goals to back that up,” Keane added.
Manchester United won't be in action this weekend due to the Premier League's split fixture weekend. The Red Devils are scheduled to take on Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 28.
Manchester United eyeing £130 million attacker: Reports
According to GOAL, Manchester United are eyeing a move for Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior as they look to take their attack to the next level. The Brazilian winger is said to be valued at £130 million.
The Spanish giants are working on signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer this summer. Although the player would be joining as a free agent, Los Blancos would still need to spend a lot on his salary and sign-on bonus.
With Los Blancos not having much financial margin at the moment, they would need to make sales if they're to lure Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu. Thus, they could be forced to sell Vinicius Jr. and Manchester United are reportedly interested.