Praise from Roy Keane usually comes at a premium and especially when Manchester United have struggled to pass their objectives this season. Yet as they continue to battle for Champions League qualification, some United players have done enough to impress the Old Trafford icon.
Portugal sensation Bruno Fernandes and £80million captain Harry Maguire are among those to have been slammed (repeatedly) by Keane this term. However, there has been praise for six teammates.
David de Gea
In an endless list of infamous rants, criticism dished out towards the long-serving Spaniard in 2020 is right up there. Following a draw with Tottenham, the no-nonsense Irishman suggested he would be 'throwing punches' at De Gea, while the goalkeeper and Maguire would have to 'get a taxi back to Manchester' after the match if he was involved.
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Fast forward 18 months and, reluctantly, de Gea was subject to praise from Keane. After watching him make a save to deny Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Odoi, the former United captain said: "This is the one. Poor defending. Jimmy [Floyd Hasselbaink] thinks he probably should score, I'm going to give de Gea credit. I actually thought it was a good save, which is unlike me."
Going one step further in January at a game with Aston Villa, he added: "De Gea is back to his best and I'm happy to give him credit for that. David de Gea is allowed back on the bus..."
Fred
Having openly criticised the Brazilian earlier this season, Keane shared a U-turn on his verdict while highlighting his display against Leeds. It prompted a joke from the Irishman, too, as he suggested that it was namesake Robbie who had slammed the United midfielder.
Speaking on Sky Sports, pundit Keane said: "Fred, to be fair, he's improved over the last couple of months. Fred has been criticised, yeah, by Robbie... He's added a couple of goals, a couple of assists. About time for him."
James Garner
Okay, so make that five United players and one loanee. Garner has impressed during his time in the Championship with Nottingham Forest and the Academy graduate was picked out by Keane for special praise before the FA Cup tie with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Keane said: "He's been in a really good partnership with [Ryan] Yatesy, they complement each other very well, he's technically very good. He likes to dictate the play, sits a little bit deeper than Yates. Tough game for him, but this is a great experience for young players coming up against top players like Liverpool, great way to learn."
Cristiano Ronaldo
During the November international break, Ronaldo - who has 18 goals for United this campaign - stole headlines when he struck twice late on to gun down the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier. Putting any national affiliation to one side, Keane said: "Ronaldo looked off it, missed a penalty, but we saw what he's about. Getting in the box, end product, two brilliant headers.
"First one very brave then the second one great movement the accuracy of the header, how many times can I say it? The man's a genius, I'm sick of saying it."
Underlining that assessment following Ronaldo's hat-trick against Tottenham, his former teammate added: "It was entertaining and Ronaldo stepped up to the plate.
"He looked angry, a lot of aggression, he's obviously been upset by something but he's showed what we've all seen over the years. He's brilliant, he's a genius, the three goals were fantastic, five touches in total, he brings so much to this team."
Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga
A move four years in the making, Sancho finally touched down at Old Trafford last summer after Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund agreed to sanction his £72.9million switch. While he struggled, initially, the England forward has since recaptured his Dortmund form.
Keane was on the Sky Sports panel as Sancho provided two assists during a 4-2 victory over Leeds. He said: "He has grown in confidence and is getting the United way. He's getting braver and showing a bit more courage. Those little details that come from confidence and getting that swagger. It's nice to see because he was getting criticised."
On the same Sunday afternoon, Keane also praised Elanga after the Sweden starlet helped to rubber-stamp three points for United. He added: "This young kid Elanga, he's a really good player.
"Positive and the win was deserved in the end. They made hard work of it, but United were by far the better team."
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