Belfast Telegraph

Roy Keane tore Gary Neville's 'nonsense' to bits after Manchester United's defeat to City, says John Giles

Gary Neville (left) and Roy Keane (right) had a disagreement after Manchester United's defeat to Manchester City

Roy Keane "tore Gary Neville to bits" during their debate following Manchester City's 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

That's the view of John Giles, who was full of praise for how Corkman Keane handled himself in the Sky Studio when he robustly challenged former team-mate Neville and accused Manchester United players of "cheating".

Pep Guardiola's City took a giant step towards another Premier League title with a routine victory over their arch rivals that left Keane questioning the commitment of Ole Gunnar Solkskjaer's men. Neville, however, asserted that United "played a decent game".

"What Roy Keane was alluding to was the things that he did when he was a player," Giles told Off The Ball.

"I thought Keane was brilliant (on Wednesday) in his analysis and actually tore Neville to bits.

"What Neville was saying didn't make sense to me. Neville made a case that the way City play, they tire out (opponents). Well, that's nonsense to be quite honest. I think it's nonsense. You don't get tired with half an hour or more to go."

Keane was particularly scathing in his assessment of United midfielder Fred. "You need to see Fred for the second goal? You are talking about players giving it their all. That's cheating. What he has done is cheating, letting a guy run off him," Keane fumed.

Giles was in agreement, adding: "You don't make excuses for players not having it in them. What he didn't have in him was an effort to run back. That's a given as a player.

"The fact is Fred messed up because he was lazy and not doing what he should be doing," he said.

Neville caused controversy recently when he kissed Solskjaer, a former United team-mate, following United's Champions League victory over PSG. Once again, Neville interviewed the United boss ahead of Wednesday's derby, something that does not sit well with Giles.

"Again, with Gary Neville, he shouldn't be doing that interview with Solskjaer," added Giles.

"He wasn't asking him hard questions. It was a bit of a laugh and a bit of a joke. He's a pundit."


From Belfast Telegraph