Roy Keane on Leeds United: Ex-Man Utd star’s message to fans, star criticism, kind words on duo

If there’s one thing that Leeds United vs Manchester United pretty much guarantees, it’s fireworks.

The two clubs boast one of the most heated and storied rivalries in English football, and this weekend’s clash looks set to be another fascinating encounter.

For the Whites, the priority will be avoiding the kind of humiliating blow they suffered in their 5-1 opening day defeat against Man United back in August, while a win could lift them as far as nine points clear of the relegation zone.

As for their opponents, an unconvincing run of form has done little to assure onlookers of their top four credentials, although they do occupy that final Champions League qualification spot heading into the weekend thanks to a 2-0 win over Brighton on Tuesday evening.

One man who is very familiar with the fixture - and with on-field fireworks, for that matter - is Roy Keane.

The Sky Sports pundit has developed quite the reputation for his straight-talking assessments of the beautiful game, and ahead of Sunday’s showdown, we’ve gathered up all of his recent comments on Leeds and their key talents.

On Kalvin Phillips

Keane often covers England matches in his work with ITV, and has questioned whether Leeds star Kalvin Phillips possesses the creativity needed to operate at the highest level.

Speaking after England’s 4-0 win over Hungary in September, he said: “You still have to be looking for improvements in your team and if you’re being critical of England you’d look at the lads in the middle of the park, Rice and Phillips, have they got that creativity?”

The Irishman did backtrack on his initial assessment somewhat, however, adding: “But in fairness, they had really good tournaments [at EURO 2020] and you have to look at the positives.

“With the attacking players England still had high up the pitch, I think they sacrificed that to go with them two lads”.

On Patrick Bamford:

Keane expressed his admiration for Leeds striker Patrick Bamford’s tenacity after he earned his first cap for England during September’s 4-0 victory over Andorra.

Speaking on ITV, he said: “I think throughout his career, it’s perseverance because there is doubters out there, there was question marks over whether he was going to be tough enough, would he score at the highest level?

“He’s proved that, I looked at the last game at Burnley [a 1-1 draw back in August], the two central defenders really roughed him up but he scored a really important equaliser so the kid stuck at it, great to see.”

On Raphinha and Leeds United’s ‘entertainer’ status

Few teams have garnered as much of a reputation for their entertaining brand of play as Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side, and few players are as integral to that signature style of football as Raphinha - something that Keane has been quick to acknowledge.

Speaking on Sky Sports earlier in the season, he said: “If he [Raphinha] didn’t have that workrate then he wouldn’t be in that team.

“That’s first and foremost if you want to be a top footballer, you have to have that workrate and desire.

“We have to be fair that all the Leeds players seem to have that, at the moment. They have a spring in their step – Leeds are the entertainers of the Premier League.”

On facing Leeds during his own playing days

Never one to shy away from a confrontation, Keane has spoken quite openly about his love of his own fiery clashes with the Whites.

Speaking earlier in the season, he said: “They’d always come and have a go, they’d always be up for it. Physical battle, tense, rivalry with supporters, a lot of hatred with supporters there, it was brilliant.”

Back in August, Keane also appeared on Sky Sports’ The Overlap alongside former team-mate Gary Neville, and was asked about the best atmosphere he experienced as a player, to which he responded: “I thought Leeds was good away from home.”