Roy Keane's Warning About Manchester United Players Comes True
Roy Keane’s old Manchester United warning is coming true – and only one man is left to hear it ringing in his ears.
Back in August 2022, Keane stood in the Sky Sports studio and tore into United’s midfield after a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton. Erik ten Hag had sent out Fred and Scott McTominay to protect his back four. Keane saw enough within 90 minutes.
“The decision-making and the football intelligence, in particular from Fred – and I've said this for a long time – Fred and McTominay are not good enough,” he snapped. “They won't get Manchester United back competing at the top. We see it week in, week out. [They are] not up to it.”
Two years on, he widened the blast radius.
By April 2025, with Ruben Amorim in the dugout and United grinding out a goalless stalemate against Manchester City, Keane had shifted his glare from midfield to the front line. This time, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee felt the heat.
“Manchester United can still be more of a goal threat,” he said on Sky Sports. “The couple of strikers United have at the club are not good enough for United, but there are other players on the team.
“I’m not saying they all have to be like that – but they have experienced players there. Maguire, Casemiro, Fernandes – do they get a grip of these players?”
Four names. One brutal verdict. Three of them have now walked away from Old Trafford and rebuilt their careers elsewhere. One is stuck in limbo.
McTominay’s Italian revival
Scott McTominay was the academy boy who grew up inside Carrington’s walls. He joined United at five. By 29, he was packing his bags for Naples.
The £25 million move to Napoli in the summer of 2024 looked, at first glance, like a step down for a player who had been in and out of United’s starting XI. It has turned into anything but.
In his first season under Antonio Conte, McTominay became a driving force in midfield and was named Serie A Player of the Year as Napoli surged to the title. He didn’t just settle; he imposed himself on a league that rarely hands out second chances to Premier League cast-offs.
Napoli couldn’t quite repeat the feat last season, finishing second behind Inter Milan, but they still lifted the Supercoppa Italiana. McTominay, once dismissed as a symbol of United’s stagnation, now wears the tag of champion in Italy.
Fred finds his footing in Turkey
Fred’s story is different, but just as decisive.
Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £47m in 2018, the Brazilian endured a turbulent spell at Old Trafford, veering between indispensable and expendable. He did have his moments – including a League Cup win in 2023 – yet he never truly escaped the sense that United expected more for their money.
Keane’s criticism in 2022 came just a year before Fred finally moved on. In August 2023 he joined Fenerbahce, and there, away from the Premier League spotlight, he has become a constant presence.
Across three seasons with the Turkish giants he has established himself as a key figure and added the Turkish Super Cup in 2025. No noise, no drama, just a steady career rebuilt far from Old Trafford’s glare.
Hojlund’s second chance in Serie A
Rasmus Hojlund arrived at United in July 2023 as the great attacking hope. A £64m signing from Atalanta, raw but explosive, he carried the weight of a fanbase desperate for a long-term No. 9.
The numbers never quite matched the expectation. Across 95 appearances, he scored 26 goals. Respectable, not transformative. He did help United to an FA Cup triumph in 2024, but the sense persisted that he had not become the ruthless finisher the club craved.
By September 2025, United had made their decision. Hojlund left for Napoli on loan, then sealed a permanent move this summer for around £38m. A financial loss for United, a fresh start for the Dane.
His first campaign back in Italy brought 16 goals and another Supercoppa Italiana medal. Productive, promising, yet not spectacular. This summer’s pre-season has been tougher; he has struggled to stamp his authority on Conte’s attack. The jury in Naples is still out.
Zirkzee, the last man standing
Which leaves Joshua Zirkzee – the final name on Keane’s hit-list and the only one still officially on United’s books.
The Dutch striker arrived in 2024 for £36.5m, a forward with technique, flair and clear potential. What he hasn’t found is rhythm. Across all competitions he has scored just nine times in 75 appearances, a return that has never truly threatened to silence his critics.
He featured in pre-season, but the picture is bleak. With Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all ahead of him in the pecking order, his minutes have dried up. The club has moved on; Zirkzee, for now, has not.
That stalemate may not last. According to Sky Sport Italia, Juventus want him on a season-long loan and the 25-year-old has already given the move his approval. A switch to Turin would offer him what he has lacked in Manchester: a clear role and a realistic pathway to regular football.
The transfer window shuts on September 1. By then, Roy Keane’s once-controversial assessment could be etched even deeper into United’s recent history – four players he branded “not good enough,” all gone, all searching for the careers Old Trafford could not quite give them.
