Roy Keane was left bemused by Ralf Rangnick's reasons for handing Jesse Lingard a rare start during Manchester United's 4-2 win over Leeds.
The England ace has barely had a sniff at Old Trafford this season but was handed his first start for United in over two years on Sunday.
United's class eventually told in a six-goal thriller that saw Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Anthony Elanga all find the net for United.
Lingard lasted over an hour before he was replaced by Elanga, who scored United's final goal.
When quizzed on his decision to bring Lingard in from the cold, Rangnick revealed that Lingard had looked 'sharp' in training.
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But Keane was far from convinced by Rangnick's explanation.
"He [Rangnick] said he looked sharp in training, I’m thinking he hasn’t looked sharp for two years in training," Keane told Sky Sports prior to the match, pointing out Lingard's alarming lack of minutes this term.
"But no, we all know Jesse’s a talented boy, there are issues with his contract but what we would give him credit for when he did go out on loan he did hit the ground running as if the lack of match sharpness didn’t affect him.
"He’s another option for the manager, we’ll know when the game starts [whether he’s a better fit than Anthony Elanga or Marcus Rashford], he’s experienced and a quality player.
"As we’ve seen when he went out on loan, he got up to speed very quickly so hopefully that won’t be a big problem for him but it’s a good chance for him, particularly with his contract up in the summer."
Lingard seems poised to quit the club for good in the summer when his contract expires.
The United academy graduate had harboured hopes of muscling his way back into the fold at Old Trafford following a stunning six-month spell at West Ham last season.
But Lingard has failed to become a fixture under Rangnick or his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this term.
Despite being a peripheral figure at the club, United blocked deadline day moves for the 29-year-old.
Both West Ham and Newcastle were reportedly keen on striking a deal for the attacker - only for United to rebuff both clubs.
Even though Lingard is reportedly handed a summer exit, he was handed the chance to finally make an impression on Rangnick during Sunday's fiery clash.
And Rangnick was left purring after the final whistle as he lauded his team's display.
"It was very intense," said the United chief. "If you were a neutral person, [it was] an entertaining football game, there were only very few moments where nothing happened on the pitch.
"It took us some 10 or 15 minutes to get into the game. I think the last half-hour before half-time we did great, we put them under pressure, we forced them into their half, the whole first-half took place in their half. We were 2-0 up, it could've been 3-0 up, 4-0 up.
"At half-time, we were fully aware they would have a go at us and would try to play with more aggression. I still believe the first goal came out of the blue, I don't think Rodrigo intended to play the ball where he played the ball to, but within two minutes all of a sudden 2-2.
"It took us five minutes to shake ourselves and the reaction after that I think was great, we showed maturity, we showed maturity, as a team on the pitch and in the end we highly deserved to win."
