Roy Keane: United Still Short of Title-Level Despite Midfield Rebuild
Roy Keane likes plenty of what he sees in Manchester United’s new-look midfield. He just doesn’t see a title in it.
Speaking on Stick to Football, the former United captain welcomed the added depth alongside Kobbie Mainoo, who shone under Michael Carrick last season, but drew a hard line between “good” and “good enough to win the league”.
Asked whether the potential arrival of Carlos Baleba would complete the unit, Keane didn’t hesitate.
He called it “a good midfield” – then immediately put a ceiling on it. In his view, it’s still not the engine room of champions.
For Keane, United’s real ceiling sits elsewhere on the pitch. He believes the club’s long-standing defensive frailties remain the biggest barrier to a genuine title push.
“United’s big problems are still going to be defensively,” he argued, pointing to an area he’s hammered for years. The full-backs. The centre-halves. The entire back line, in his eyes, still drags the team away from the level required to go toe-to-toe over 38 games.
He did acknowledge the attacking threat that grew once Carrick took charge, praising the way United carried a consistent goal threat last season. On paper, he said, the midfielders “jump out as really good players”. On grass, over a title race? He doesn’t buy it.
“Is there a league-winning midfield there? Probably not. No, I don’t see it,” he concluded, cutting through any optimism with familiar bluntness.
Keane also weighed up the £35m move for Youri Tielemans. This, he feels, is a different kind of United signing – and not necessarily in a bad way.
He praised the club for stepping away from the “huge money, big wages” model that defined the Casemiro deal, describing Tielemans as a more measured, lower-risk addition. A “safety bet”.
Tielemans, he noted, knows the Premier League, has international pedigree and has already handled the Old Trafford stage successfully with Aston Villa. Keane expects him to cope with the expectation and the scrutiny.
But again, the ceiling appears clear in his mind.
Tielemans can steady United. He can raise the floor. What Keane does not see is a player – or a midfield – that drags them to the very top of the table.
“Will he get United to the very top? No,” he said.
United may have upgraded the middle of the pitch. Keane’s verdict is that the real exam, the one that decides whether they can chase the biggest prizes again, still waits at the back.
