Roy Keane and Erling Haaland will not go on vacation together. The iconic former captain of Manchester United violently attacked the Manchester City striker after his delicate match against Arsenal on Sunday. The Norwegian remained silent and his team hung on (0-0) in front of their home crowd in this shock of the 30th day of the Premier League, decisive for the title. “His general level of play is so mediocre… And not just today,” Keane told Sky Sports.
And the former Irish international continued: “He almost plays like a League Two player (the 4th English division), that’s how I see him. His overall level of play needs to improve, and that will be the case over the next few years.” In the meantime, Erling Haaland, 23, remains the top scorer for this 2023-2024 season in the English championship with 18 goals in 24 matches. The Skyblues are 3rd in the standings with 64 points, behind Arsenal (65) and Liverpool (67). Last season, the “Cyborg” greatly contributed to his team’s championship-FA Cup-Champions League treble by scoring 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions.
His father, Alf-Inge, doesn’t have very fond memories of Roy Keane either. The former Manchester City defender suffered a killer tackle from the Irishman during a harmless Premier League match in April 2001. “There are things I regret in my life, this is not one of them , confided Roy Keane in 2002, in his autobiography. Damn, I went all out. Take that, asshole. Even in the locker room, I had no remorse. My attitude was an eye for an eye: fuck him. He got what he deserved…”
Logically expelled, Roy Keane had premeditated this gesture in memory of a day in 1997, when Alf-Inge Haaland, then a Leeds player, had accused his opponent of simulating after a contact between the two men which had nevertheless earned him a break in the crossed ligaments. Revenge is a dish best served cold…