Roy Keane faces embarrassment again for Trent Alexander-Arnold dig after attack backfired

Roy Keane may find himself embarrassed over his comments on Trent Alexander-Arnold during Liverpool’s recent clash with Manchester United – citing how the full-back looked League Two quality

Roy Keane may end up looking silly after his recent scathing review of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The hard-hitting Irishman has had several hot takes since venturing into the world of punditry and is never afraid to criticise players who he believes are not up to par. His most recent outburst was aimed at Alexander-Arnold after his first-half performance for Liverpool against the Red Devils.

Keane was in the Sky Sports studio during the Premier League clash at Anfield on January 5, pulling no punches on his assessment. He explained: “Trent Alexander-Arnold has been all over the place defensively. His defending has been schoolboy stuff. He’s got to do better.

“They’re talking about him going to Real Madrid. The way he’s defending he’s going to Tranmere Rovers after this.” He added: “He’s got to do better.” Lisandro Martinez opened the scoring for United before Cody Gakpo equalised for the Reds.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in front with 70 minutes played when he converted a penalty, but Amad Diallo ensured that United made the short trip back to Manchester with a point for their efforts with 10 minutes left to play. Alexander-Arnold is out of contract in July and has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid for some time.

Talks of a transfer for the 26-year-old intensified when first-choice Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal sustained a season-ending ACL injury back in October, however, it looks as though Alexander-Arnold will remain a Liverpool player until his contract expires.

It’s not the first time Keane has been critical of a top-class player only to be embarrassed when proven wrong. In March, the 53-year-old player-turned-pundit lambasted Manchester City star Erling Haaland following a goalless draw at the Etihad.

The Norwegian, who has scored 111 goals across all competitions since joining Pep Guardiola’s side in 2022, was shut down effectively by a centre-half pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes during the fixture to see City and the Gunners share a point each. And Keane wasted no time critiquing Haaand for his inability to find the back of the net.

He opined at the time: “The levels of his general play are so poor. And not just today but in general. In terms of front of goal he’s best in the world, but his general play is so poor. He’s almost like a League Two player. That is the way I look at him. His general play has to improve. It will do, over the next few years. Being this brilliant striker is fantastic but he has to improve his all-round game.”

However, Haaland was quick to snap back at Keane’s assessment, bluntly explaining: “I don’t really care that much about that man, so that’s all right.” Meanwhile, Guardiola defended his star striker, saying: “I am not agreeing with him. It’s like I said, ‘He’s a manager for the second or third league – I don’t think so’.

“He’s the best striker in the world and helped us to win what we won last season, and the reason why we don’t create many chances is not because of Erling. We played an exceptional game against Arsenal. I reviewed it – we just missed more people in the final third, maybe for the quality and different skills we have. I am surprised it [the criticism] has come from former players. From journalists I understand, because they have never been on the pitch.”

Keane somewhat backtracked the following month, noting how Haaland had become a “Championship player” after he helped guide his side to a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Speaking after that game, Keane said: “He was very much like a Championship player, he has improved a lot.

“In terms of a goal-scorer he is absolutely amazing, there’s no doubting his quality in terms of his finishing. When he’s coming on he will want to have an impact on the game and when it’s stretched like that he’s got people like De Bruyne, he’s going to find you and then it’s just that bit of sharpness which he has shown.”

Haaland ultimately proved his worth for City across the 2023/24 campaign, finding the back of the net 27 times in 31 Premier League games and scoring six in nine Champions League clashes.

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