Roy Keane has been waiting to tear into Harry Maguire for some time, according to the former Manchester United’s international team-mate Tony Cascarino.
Keane didn’t hold back in his assessment of Maguire’s celebration after the United defender sent a message to his critics while playing for England on Friday night.
Having headed Gareth Southgate’s side into the lead against Albania, Maguire proceeded to cup his ears before putting his fingers in them in his celebration in a nod to the criticism he’s received for his performances at club level so far this season.
The reaction to the celebration has been mixed, with some defending the United captain, while others feel the goal wasn’t enough to answer back considering his poor form beforehand.
Keane has been one of Maguire’s most vocal critics this season, and the former midfielder branded the celebration “embarrassing” and said the defender had been a “disgrace” this season when asked for his thoughts on ITV.
Maguire insisted after the game that his celebration had not been aimed at anyone specifically, but Cascarino called the 28-year-old “childish” for his actions.
“If you play badly, and you have a bad time, you’re going to get stick – plain and simple,” Cascarino told talkSPORT.
“It is what it is. People are going to criticise you if you make mistakes.
“If you play for Manchester United and you don’t play to a certain standard, it’s not good enough for Man United and it’s not good enough for England.
“I thought it was a bit childish. I thought, ‘Really?’ You’ve got stick, but you haven’t played well enough not to get stick.”
Cascarino also gave his thoughts on Keane’s reaction, which didn’t come as a surprise to his former Republic of Ireland team-mate.
“When he goes for you, he really goes for you. I always laugh.
“When they [Republic of Ireland] had the problem in 2002 and he left the World Cup, the meeting between Mick McCarthy and the lads, the lads were actually shocked by the machine gun tongue showed at that time.
“Things sit with Roy. You think you’ve got away with it – and he’ll sit. He’ll store it up. It can go over a year or two years, then suddenly it comes out.
“Unfortunately for Harry, Roy has only had a few months of watching him play badly. He’s probably thought, ‘If you do something like you just did, I’m going to give it to you’.”
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