Keane slams one Man Utd star for ‘always smiling’ instead of ‘going to war’

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Roy Keane speaks about Man Utd

Roy Keane has criticised Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford for “always smiling” in the pre-match warm-ups instead of preparing for “war”.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s well-taken goal gave the Red Devils a share of the spoils on Thursday night as they held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

The Blues were the better team for most of the match and Man Utd – who are five points off the final Champions League place – could only manage six shots to Chelsea’s 21.


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Man Utd have come in for plenty of criticism over their performances in recent months under Ralf Rangnick with reports of dressing room unrest.

Rashford, who is usually so reliable, has been in poor form this term, scoring just five goals in all competitions compared to his 21 last campaign.

Man Utd legend Keane accused Rashford of playing like a “child” in their 4-0 loss to Liverpool earlier this month and now wants to see him smile less in pre-match warm-ups.

When asked what he wants to see from Rashford, Keane said on Sky Sports: “A bit more courage from him, we’ve not seen enough of it.

“His performances… he’s not been consistent, he’s not worked hard enough, he’s not been brave in terms of taking people on, he’s not mixed his game up well enough in terms of running in behind.

“He’s now 24 years of age, he’s got to show more maturity, be more consistent, that’s the key to play at any big club.

“He’s got to do a lot more, I’m really frustrated with him.”

On whether Rashford is playing for his future at Man Utd, Keane added: “I think they all are.

“I think you’re always in a sense playing for your future. You’re talking about a reaction from the manager, as if you need loads of setbacks to get a reaction. The key is to do it week win, week out.

“Every time I see Marcus getting warmed up, he’s always smiling, I don’t like players smiling too much. You smile when you do score, when you do something.

“What we said when he first burst on to the scene, he affects games, he doesn’t affect games any more. He does very little. The performance last week [against Liverpool] I mentioned he played like a child, like an immature kid in terms of his hold-up play.

“He’s playing in a wider position tonight [against Chelsea], that’s probably easier for him, you just need to see some more.”

It was suggested that smiling is a sign of being relaxed but Keane replied: “Not all the time.

“Every time I see him in the warm-up he’s laughing or smiling. You’re going to war. You’re fighting for your future, start smiling when you score a goal, or you do something that affects the game, or gets people off their seats. Laughing all the time in a warm-up… come on.”