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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dismisses former captain Roy Keane's criticism of young players
Red Devils boss irked when the opinion of the talismanic Irish midfielder, now a TV pundit, was put to him after his side crashed out of the Champions League against Basel
8 Dec 2011 07:48:00
By Oliver Platt
Getty Images
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was dismissive of suggestions from his former captain Roy Keane that his young players had let him down when they crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Basel.
Keane, who captained United for over eight years between 1997 and 2005, labelled the loss a "reality check" for the club's younger players.
"People have talked about the young players – you've had [Phil] Jones, [Chris] Smalling, [Ashley] Young coming in, everybody building them up, but they've got a lot to do, it's a reality check for some," Keane told ITV after the match.
"I'd be getting hold of some of those lads, saying, 'You'd better buck up your ideas.'
"I think their best player tonight was Ryan Giggs. That sums it up – he's 37 or 38, you can't be depending on him."
Sir Alex, however, was not impressed with the Irishman's comments and reiterated his confidence in the younger members of his squad.
"I don't know why you are bringing this up from a television critic," he said. "Roy had an opportunity to prove himself as a manager and it's a hard job.
"We have enough good young players to see us through. I have every confidence in them. That is part of football. You have to deal with disappointment.
"It has been used as motivation at this club many times before. These young players will have to cope with it and get on with it in their careers."
The 69-year old admitted his disappointment with United's performance in front of goal, however.
"Of course we are disappointed, it is the only way we can feel," he said.
"We had so much possession of the ball and so many good opportunities in the last third of the field but in the finishing part we let ourselves down."
A bad evening in Switzerland was made worse by what looked like a serious knee injury suffered by captain Nemanja Vidic.
"We don't know the extent of it at this moment in time," Sir Alex added. "We think it is a medial ligament and hopefully that is the worst of it."
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Keane, who captained United for over eight years between 1997 and 2005, labelled the loss a "reality check" for the club's younger players.
"People have talked about the young players – you've had [Phil] Jones, [Chris] Smalling, [Ashley] Young coming in, everybody building them up, but they've got a lot to do, it's a reality check for some," Keane told ITV after the match.
"I'd be getting hold of some of those lads, saying, 'You'd better buck up your ideas.'
"I think their best player tonight was Ryan Giggs. That sums it up – he's 37 or 38, you can't be depending on him."
Sir Alex, however, was not impressed with the Irishman's comments and reiterated his confidence in the younger members of his squad.
"I don't know why you are bringing this up from a television critic," he said. "Roy had an opportunity to prove himself as a manager and it's a hard job.
"We have enough good young players to see us through. I have every confidence in them. That is part of football. You have to deal with disappointment.
"It has been used as motivation at this club many times before. These young players will have to cope with it and get on with it in their careers."
The 69-year old admitted his disappointment with United's performance in front of goal, however.
"Of course we are disappointed, it is the only way we can feel," he said.
"We had so much possession of the ball and so many good opportunities in the last third of the field but in the finishing part we let ourselves down."
A bad evening in Switzerland was made worse by what looked like a serious knee injury suffered by captain Nemanja Vidic.
"We don't know the extent of it at this moment in time," Sir Alex added. "We think it is a medial ligament and hopefully that is the worst of it."
"Of course we are disappointed, it is the only way we can feel," Ferguson said. "We had so much possession of the ball and so many good opportunities in the last third of the field but in the finishing part we let ourselves down."
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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