Roy Keane's Warning List: Manchester United's Clear-Out
Roy Keane’s old Manchester United warning list is almost cleared. Three of the four players he once dismissed as “not good enough” have gone. Only Joshua Zirkzee is still at Old Trafford – and even he is edging towards the exit.
Keane’s brutal verdict
The story began in August 2022, on a grim afternoon against Brighton. United lost 2-1 at Old Trafford in Erik ten Hag’s first Premier League game, and Keane tore into the midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred live on Sky Sports.
“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 said. “They won’t get Manchester United back competing at the top. We see it week in, week out. [They are] not up to it.”
It was classic Keane: blunt, unforgiving, and impossible to ignore.
Fast forward to April 2025. A drab 0-0 draw with Manchester City under Ruben Amorim left United toothless in attack, and Keane turned his fire on the forwards.
“Manchester United can still be more of a goal threat,” he told 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?”
This time, the spotlight fell on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
McTominay: from scapegoat to Serie A star
Of the four, McTominay’s story might be the most striking.
The boy who joined United at five years old left in the summer of 2024, heading to Napoli in a £25 million deal. In England he had been a symbol, fairly or not, of United’s muddled midfield era. In Italy, he became something else entirely.
At 29, McTominay was named Serie A player of the year in his debut campaign, driving Antonio Conte’s Napoli to the title. He didn’t just settle; he imposed himself on a league that rarely hands out second chances to foreign midfielders who arrive with question marks.
Napoli couldn’t retain the Scudetto last season, finishing second behind Inter Milan, but they did add the Supercoppa Italiana. McTominay, once framed as a problem at Old Trafford, is now a pillar in Naples.
Fred: steady influence in Turkey
Fred’s United career always divided opinion. Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £47 million in 2018, he never quite escaped the debate over his price tag or role. Yet he left with a League Cup winners’ medal from 2023 and long spells as a regular starter.
Keane’s criticism landed in 2022. A year later, in August 2023, Fred moved on to Fenerbahce.
In Turkey, he has become exactly what top clubs crave: reliable. Across three seasons he has been a constant presence for the Istanbul giants, adding the Turkish Super Cup in 2025 to his collection. At 33, he has built a second act far from the Premier League noise that once surrounded him.
Hojlund: big fee, mixed legacy, new start
Rasmus Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford in July 2023 with expectation and a hefty initial £64 million price tag after his move from Atalanta. The Danish striker was supposed to be United’s long-term No 9.
The numbers tell a conflicted story. He scored 26 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions and lifted the FA Cup in 2024. Productive at times, raw at others, he never fully shook off the feeling that United needed more from their main striker.
By September 2025, the club and player were ready to split. Hojlund joined Napoli on loan, then made the move permanent this summer for around £38 million. His first season in Italy brought 16 goals and another Supercoppa Italiana, a respectable return that hinted at a player still climbing.
This pre-season, though, he has struggled to impose himself with the Italians. The promise remains, but so do the questions.
Zirkzee: last man standing, but not for long?
That leaves Zirkzee, the final name on Keane’s hit list and the only one still on United’s books.
The Dutch forward arrived in 2024 for £36.5 million, a signing meant to add craft and variety to United’s attack. The reality has been harsher: nine goals in 75 appearances in all competitions and no nailed-down role.
He featured in pre-season, yet his situation looks precarious. With Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all ahead of him in the pecking order and taking the bulk of the minutes in the forward line, Zirkzee has been squeezed to the margins.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Juventus are pushing to take him on a season-long loan. The report claims the 25-year-old has already given the green light to the move, aware that his chances at Old Trafford are shrinking fast.
The transfer window closes on September 1. By then, Manchester United may have quietly completed a full clear-out of the quartet Roy Keane once dismissed in a few unforgiving soundbites. The real question now is whether the club has finally replaced them with players who can live up to the standards he still demands.
