Roy Keane Highlights Manchester United's Defensive Concerns
Roy Keane has thrown his weight behind Manchester United’s summer transfer strategy – but the club’s former captain still sees one glaring problem as the new Premier League season looms: the defence.
Michael Carrick’s side have rebuilt their midfield after a turbulent few months. Casemiro has gone on a free, Manuel Ugarte’s serious World Cup injury has ripped a hole in the centre of the pitch, and United have moved quickly to plug the gap. Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos are already through the door, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba close to following in a deal worth £65million plus £5m in add-ons.
Keane likes a lot of what he sees. He just doesn’t think it’s enough to mount a title charge.
Keane impressed by smarter recruitment
Speaking on the latest Stick to Football podcast, the Irishman acknowledged a shift in United’s transfer thinking.
“We have to give United credit for a little bit,” he said. “The recent recruitment, they have come back to players who know the Premier League.
“That’s been a big one. It’s obviously the same mindset this year, bringing players in who are maybe under the radar, not your huge money, but again, some of Man United’s greatest signings going back over the last 20 or 30 years have been players under the radar.
“It’s not always necessarily about spending £100m on somebody. I think these players will be good for Man United…”
It is a clear endorsement of United’s decision to avoid another galáctico-style gamble and instead target players with Premier League experience or high upside at more reasonable fees. Tielemans fits that first category. Santos and the incoming Baleba land in the second.
The club’s hierarchy have also been willing to walk away from deals they once might have forced through.
Walking away from big-money targets
This summer United backed out of moves for Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson. Fernandes and Tonali ended up at Tottenham Hotspur, while Anderson joined Manchester City.
Keane believes that restraint was overdue.
“I think the rumours are that they were told that the fees were going to keep going up and at some stage you have to back away, don’t you?” he said.
“You look at their other signings though, United seem to be in that bracket of buying lads for £50, 60m. They obviously had their fingers burned over the last few years, but again they were buying players who weren’t used to the Premier League.”
United’s recent history is littered with expensive misfires, many of them imported without any grounding in English football. This window, Keane argues, looks different: fees still hefty, but profiles smarter and more tailored to the demands of the league.
And yet, for all the talk of value and profile, one area keeps dragging the conversation back.
“That defence is the big problem”
Keane did not dress it up. After praising the midfield additions, he cut straight to the issue that, in his view, separates United from the genuine contenders.
“I think these players will be good for Man United, but being good and trying to win a league title… I think that defence is the big problem.”
Carrick has seen his midfield reshaped in weeks. His back line, by contrast, remains the subject of doubt rather than decisive surgery. Keane’s warning lands at a time when rivals at the top end of the table have largely settled, well-drilled defensive units. United, in his eyes, are still searching for that solidity.
The transfer window gives them a little breathing space. Only a little.
United have until 11pm on September 1 to add to Carrick’s squad and address the concerns of their most demanding former captain. The season starts before then, though, and it starts with a test of nerve: a lunchtime trip to newly-promoted Hull City on Saturday at 12:30pm.
If Keane is right about that defence, we may find out very quickly.
