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Roy Keane during his time as Ireland assistant manager

Watch: Roy Keane digs out Marcus Rashford for ‘smiling too much’

Joe Sargent •

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has criticised out-of-form United forward Marcus Rashford questioning why the England international is ‘always smiling.’

Keane has never been shy in letting his feelings be known, and the images that showed Rashford smiling in the warm-up with team-mates ahead of United’s Premier League match with Chelsea agitated the 50-year-old.

Rashford has endured a difficult campaign at Old Trafford often having to settle with a place on the bench under Ralf Rangnick’s Interim regime.

The forward was picked to start against Thomas Tuchel’s side on Thursday evening, but before the match even started, Keane already had a bone to pick with him.

“He’s [Rashford] got to do a lot more, I’m really frustrated with him.” Keane said on Sky Sports.

“You smile when you score, what we always said when he first burst onto the scene and spoke about him, he affects games.

“He doesn’t affect games anymore, he does very little, his performance last week, I mentioned he played like a child, like an immature kid in terms of his hold-up play.

“Every time I see him in the warm-up he’s smiling or laughing, I go back to it, you’re going to war, you’re fighting for your future.

“You start smiling when you score a goal or when you do something to affect the game or get people of their seats, not laughing all the time in the warm-up.”

Rashford made his debut for United way back in 2016. He’s racked up the appearances for his hometown team since then, but we are still to know where he’s best deployed – winger or striker?

This is also something that concerned the seven-time Premier League winner about the man vying to return to the levels he regularly displayed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“He’s 24 we still don’t know his best position – that’s a worrying sign.”


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