Man United sour grapes as Roy Keane slams Lewis Hall quality at Newcastle United
Newcastle United sources were adamant all summer that Lewis Hall would not be sold.
Roy Keane believes Lewis Hall was never the answer at left-back for Manchester United.
Newcastle United had to put up with Red Devils fans, pundits and influencers pushing for Hall to join the club all summer. The message from Toon sources was clear - Hall would not be sold.
After losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle were not under pressure to sell. Ultimately, an offer from Man United never came and they ended the window without strengthening the position.
‘Not the answer’ - Roy Keane
Amid intense fan backlash at Old Trafford, legendary former captain Keane has played devil’s advocate. He has brazenly claimed that Hall is not good enough defensively despite his steely display at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
“I don’t think Hall is the answer,” Keane told The Overlap. “He’s not bad, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think he’s a good defender. We’re going back to that (conversation): what’s your priority in a defender now?
“Of course you want him to be comfortable in possession, of course, but first and foremost, they can defend because that’s what your challenge is now. Whatever it is with your attacking players… ‘Listen lads, two midfielders and an attacking four, go and win us the game, but we’ve got to be solid defensively’. Even if it’s sacrificing being good on the ball....”
Manchester United shut down
A hilarious interaction between Matthias Jaissle and Peter Schmeichel took place following the opening day of the season. Speaking post-match, Red Devils icon Schmeichel taunted the Newcastle manager by suggesting his former club are after Hall.
The German fired back - giving a robust “no chance” to brutally shut down the noise. Man United fans would have been let down a lot easier if they listened to Jaissle’s advice…