Roy Keane destroys ‘schoolboy’ Man Utd star after West Ham draw as Amorim laughs at latest Mainoo snub | OneFootball

Roy Keane took aim at Mason Mount following Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, insisting the midfielder ‘looked like a schoolboy’ when he came off the bench, while Ruben Amorim laughed when asked why Kobbie Mainoo was not introduced into the contest.

After a dismal 1-0 defeat to Everton last Monday, United turned in another insipid display in front of the Old Trafford fans as they missed the opportunity to move into the top five in the Premier League table after being held by the Hammers.

After a lifeless first-half performance, Diogo Dalot gave the hosts the lead just before the hour mark but Man Utd were undone by Soungoutou Magassa’s equaliser with seven minutes left in normal time.

Following Dalot’s opener, the full-back was replaced by Patrick Dorgu, with Amorim making further changes as Mount and Manuel Ugarte came on for forwards Cunha and Zirkzee. Lisandro Martinez also replaced Luke Shaw late on, with Mainoo left among the subs.

And, speaking after the game, Keane bemoaned the lack of attacking options on the bench, accusing Amorim of ‘bringing the levels down’ with his substitutions before then focusing his anger on Mount.

Keane told Sky Sports: “When you look at the squad, considering the money that has been spent, they lack strength in depth. Particularly in the attacking areas.

“When you are trying to see a game off, I look at Mason Mount when he came on, some players take longer to get up to speed but he was like a schoolboy out there.

“You’re looking for players to come on with presence. If anything they brought the levels down at United. That seemed to be the case tonight.”

United watched the teams around them all drop points during the midweek round of action, however, they failed to capitalise in another poor display.

“Defensively and in midfield, there are huge questions,” Keane said. “I wouldn’t trust or believe in this team that they can get results.

“The reason you are playing for Man Utd is that you deal with these situations. You try and deal better being one up against a team in the bottom three and Everton with 10 men. If you can’t deal with that, how can you deal with being a team in the top of the table?

“If they are anxious, you worry why they are playing for Man Utd and what they are fearful of. Fearful of West Ham, why?”

Amorim laughs over Mainoo snub question

Meanwhile, Amorim visibly laughed when Mainoo‘s name was mentioned as an option off the bench against West Ham, with the midfielder continually linked with a switch to Napoli ahead of the January transfer window.

Mainoo has not started a game since the penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in August, and has now been an unused substitute on four occasions in the Premier League this term.

When asked if he would reconsider his conservative substitutions after the point against the Hammers, Amorim said: “No, we are losing because of the second balls, sometimes it’s not more men in front that you are going to win the ball.

“We had more men to put in the offence? Who? Who would be more offensive?”

When Mainoo’s name was suggested as an option off the bench, Amorim laughed and replied: “Yes, it was the second ball and I was worried with Matheus, I know Bruno [Fernandes] reached the box really well, Mason Mount is playing in his position, they were trying to push us, Bryan [Mbeumo] has a lot of pace to try to win the ball in one transition, so that was my idea.”

The continued snubs certainly point towards a January exit for the England midfielder, who remains hopeful he can break back into Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the 2026 World Cup but knows he needs to be playing regularly at a high level to do that.

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has formally informed the club of his ambition to take “the next step” in his career, opening the door to a potential departure as early as January 2025, amid continued links to Manchester United.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has made it clear that he is not thinking about leaving the Santiago Bernabeu anytime soon, amid speculation in the English and Spanish media that Manchester United are keen on convincing the Uruguayan star to move to Old Trafford and work with Ruben Amorim.

And finally, United have stepped up their interest in Olympiacos midfielder Christos Mouzakitis, with club scouts making regular checks on the 18-year-old this season, .