Roy Keane dismissed claims that Manchester United’s lacklustre first half against Fulham was due to fatigue after their Europa League trip to Real Betis on Thursday night.
Erik ten Hag’s side defeated Fulham 3-1 in their FA Cup quarter-final tie at Old Trafford, after the Red Devils had got off to a slow start against the London side.
They went a goal down just after half-time with Aleksandar Mitrovic putting the away team a goal up before controversially receiving a red card later on in the match, with his teammate Willian and manager Marco Silva also being sent down the tunnel.
United would bounce back with Bruno Fernandes bagging a double, while Marcel Sabitzer netted his first goal for the club, sending United through to the semi-finals at Wembley.
But it’s been a busy few months for United, who mathematically can still win multiple trophies this season, with the club now holding a quarter-final berth in the Europa League and a semi-final slot in the FA Cup.
Roy Keane has shot down claims that Manchester United could be struggling with fatigue
Bruno Fernandes (left) equalised for Man United from the spot before grabbing a second
Marcel Sabitzer (middle) poked home to give the hosts a 2-1 scoring his first goal for the club
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While it’s unlikely they’ll be able to overtake Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League title race, the former Red Devils captain was on hand at half-time to give his verdict on suggestions that United could be struggling with fatigue after their European trip to Spain on Thursday.
Ten Hag’s side claimed a 1-0 win against Betis (5-1 on aggregate), sending them through to the next round of the tournament and Keane claimed that United’s poor first-half showing against Fulham should not be attributed to tiredness following that match.
‘I wouldn’t want to hear that type of talk even from the game the other night,’ Keane said when asked if he thought the side were tired from that match.
‘I think it’s difficult if you have an away game in Europe and you travel again when you come back from an away game.
‘But I think then when you’re at home, he’s made one or two changes and that can not be any sort of excuse for a bad performance, I’m not having that.’
Today’s win against Fulham was United’s sixth game in 19 days, with Ten Hag’s side having averaged a game approximately every three days in March.
But thanks to their brilliant cup form, United’s season is now set to become more intense, with the Red Devil’s now set for a huge Europa League semi-final clash against Sevilla before heading to Wembley to play Brighton in the FA Cup later this April.
And while United have been good in the cup this season, Keane did note that most of their FA Cup draws had also been played at Old Trafford, giving them an advantage over their opposition.
‘I think a lot of the games, certainly the cup games we were on about were home draws,’ he added.
‘I don’t think it’s been a draining season yet, that’s all to come with the intensity of the games and obviously there will be a lot more at stake. That cannot come into play today for United if they don’t get over the line.’
Former Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney echoed his claims suggesting that United cannot complain about fatigue when they want to be in a position to win trophies.
Willian (right) was sent off deflecting a shot from Jadon Sancho away from goal with his hand
Aleksandar Mitrovic (right) was also sent off for dissent after touched the referee in frustration
Fulham’s manager Marco Silva was also shown a red card too after conflicting with the referee
It was a slow first-half for Erik ten Hag’s side who were in action against Real Betis on Thursday
‘You cant moan about playing lots of games when you’ve been in lots of competitions, that’s the type of club Manchester united have always been.’ She said.
‘You want to be in that position playing in as many games as possible and you’ve got to get on with it.
And while players can get tired, Keane reflected conceded that ‘part of the challenge’ that many big name players have is playing through that pressure and fatigue.
He said: ‘You see all the top players playing 60, 70, 80 games the [Cristiano] Ronaldo’s, the [Lionel] Messi’s and these guys are under pressure every week, that’s part of the package of playing for a big club – that’s the challenge.’