Richard Keys has launched a scathing assault on Manchester United 's struggling stars following their dire 1-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday - the latest in a long line of humiliating defeats.
Anthony Gordon's deflected effort proved to be the difference as the Red Devils once again produced a lacklustre display to leave their aspirations of finishing in the Premier League's top four hanging by a thread. The latest loss sees Ralf Rangnick 's side languishing down in seventh in the league's standings, six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with a mere seven matches remaining this season.
Rangnick slammed his side for failing to score over 95 minutes of action at Goodison Park while United goalkeeper David De Gea labelled his side's performance a "disgrace". However, those scathing assessments were nothing compared to the remarks of Keys, who took aim at 12 of United's faltering flops within an enraged rant.
While lauding Manchester City and Liverpool for their quality following their enthralling 2-2 draw at the Etihad on Sunday, the sports presenter took the opportunity to reference United's demise, labelling the 20-time English champions as "light years away" from the Premier League's current top two. He then went on to name and shame those who he believes aren't good enough to represent the club.
In his latest blog, Keys wrote: "On the subject of United - how poor were this current lot at Everton? Awful is the answer. But how long have we been saying that in this blog?
"I’m pleased Everton got the points - but there really was nothing to beat. Absolutely nothing. We weren’t wrong to criticise [Marcus] Rashford here. Nor [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Nor [Paul] Pogba.
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"[Harry] Maguire can’t help not being very good. At least he tries and the fee wasn’t his fault. Nor was the £80m that United paid for [Jadon] Sancho his fault - but not trying is. I’m afraid he’s another one who needs to ask himself a few hard questions."
The former Sky Sports host went on to launch a particularly fervent assault on Sancho, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund to much acclaim for £73million last summer. Keys branded the 21-year-old as "massively over-hyped" while comparing his impact to that of Liverpool's latest recruit Luis Diaz.
He added: "I’ll pose one. What exactly has he contributed to United’s season? Nothing right? Nothing at all. I had this conversation on-air with Andy (Gray) last Saturday and he was fiercely defending Sancho.
"That’s fine. I’m sure others will - but let’s put this into context - Luis Diaz has been at Liverpool for 10 minutes and has been on fire. He’s already done more than Sancho has all season.
"I don’t buy into Andy’s argument that Sancho needs time to settle - and that he’s a ‘baby’. He’s 22 for goodness sake. He’s played in the Bundesliga and lived [in] Manchester before. United have a right to have expected more from another massively over-hyped player."
But Keys wasn't finished there. The 64-year-old continued to fire shots at United's struggling stars as he vented his opinions, which included referring to World Cup winner Paul Pogba as a "waste of space".
Keys continued: "Fred? Honest trier. Pogba? Waste of space. I repeat what I said last week - I wouldn’t have him anywhere near the club now. He’s stinking the place out.
"[Raphael] Varane? Rarely fit. [Luke] Shaw/[Alex] Telles/ [Aaron] Wan Bissaka/[Diogo] Dalot? It doesn’t matter. Take any two from four. None of them are good enough. [Scott] McTominay? Good lad - but shouldn’t be able to get into a proper United team."
The Red Devils now face an uphill battle to salvage their season and finish in the Premier League's top four. Regardless of United's position come the end of the campaign, the club are expected to undertake some mass changes this summer, with a new manager set to arrive and a squad rebuild expected to take place.
