Former Manchester United player Roy Keane has slammed Fred and Scott McTominay for their Sunday afternoon performance.
The Red Devils began their 2022-2023 season with a dismal loss to Brighton at Old Trafford, where Pascal Gross scored twice.
As such, Keane slammed Fred and McTominay, declaring that the midfield duo would never be ‘good enough’ to get ‘United back contending at the top.’
United fell behind 1-0 as Gross found the back of the net in the first 30 minutes of the encounter. Only nine minutes later, the German midfielder added another.
After the game, Keane was upset with the result, blaming United’s lack of quality in the middle of the park for the heartbreaking loss.
‘The [lack of] decision-making and football intelligence from midfield, notably Fred,’ said Roy Keane.
‘I’ve been saying for a long time that Fred and [Scott] McTominay aren’t good enough.’
‘They will not return Manchester United to the top of the table.’ We see that on a weekly basis. They’re not up to the task.’
Paul Scholes was also quick to criticize the midfield combination, describing United’s performance against Brighton as “horrible.”
‘It was a horrible start for Man United, and the first half was shambolic really,’ Scholes said of the game.
The warning flags were there from the start that this was going to be disastrous.
‘McTominay was continually attempting to run with the ball, which was ludicrous. The pitch’s quality was really low in the center.
‘I was relieved he didn’t get sent off [for a high challenge], but I think he got lucky. He’s running with the ball yet again, which is completely crazy.
‘It might have easily been a red card.’ The quality in the middle of the pitch was far from adequate, but we’ve seen it with these two guys for several years. He [Ten Hag] will have to choose between Fred and McTominay, but even one of them is probably too many.
‘Fred repeatedly throws the ball away, and McTominay constantly tries to sprint with the ball and then gives it away.’ Pass it on to your most talented players! It isn’t all that difficult. On a day like today, it’s criminal.’
Robbie Mustoe slammed the midfielder tandem, claiming that the club had not brought in enough talent this summer.
The analyst condemned the Red Devils’ bad transfer window for their dismal performance at halftime.
‘I’ll keep this brief and to the point,’ Mustoe stated on NBC. ‘I know Ronaldo has been making headlines, but the main story for me is that United’s transfer window has been terribly disappointing.’ They have not brought in any quality.
‘When you’ve still got it, and I’m sorry because there’s an element of Scott McTominay’s game that I like, as does Fred, but the quality required in the middle of the park for this football club is nowhere near good enough to supply the front guys out there.’
‘Sancho and Rashford [are] having a good preseason, they haven’t seen the ball because the midfield players keep giving it away, I can put a reel together of six and seven times.’
‘It appears simple, but if your midfield players don’t have a positive forward pass to get forwards engaged, they’ll be messing around and giving the ball away.’ Brighton have been fantastic.’ This football club lacks quality. The players they’ve brought in are adequate, but Man United bringing in adequate players is insufficient.’
This summer, Ten Hag signed Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, and Christian Eriksen, but both fans and experts have demanded for greater quality.
Frenkie de Jong is one of the players United has been linked with. The Red Devils have been chasing the Barcelona midfielder all summer, with the pursuit appearing to be on the cusp of completion and useless at times.