For the second night on the spin Roy Keane has left his ITV Sport colleagues lost for words.
But while Tuesday night’s “sexy football” comment was said in jest, Keane’s dismantling of Declan Rice was done so far more seriously. The West Ham skipper is rarely out of the headlines, with his future set to be one of the sagas of the upcoming summer window.
But Keane has urged Rice, who he claims hasn’t “kicked on”, needs to focus on his current team and the relegation battle they find themselves in. Manchester United are one of the sides said to be interested in the England international, but before he can play where Keane once did, the ex-United captain wants to see a lot more.
However, the level of criticism aimed towards Rice, took his ITV colleague Ian Wright by surprise. “He has first got to focus on West Ham and doing well for the rest of the season, but I don’t think he has been great this season,” Keane said about a potential move this summer.
“I don’t think he has kicked on for all the talk there has been about him - he needs to do a lot more. He doesn’t score enough goals or get enough assists. I have been a fan of him, he is always fit, but I just want a little bit more from him.
“There is talk of him leaving for big money and competing with teams for trophies, and he needs to do a lot more, it is as simple as that. Sometimes I see him play at West Ham, and he goes through the motions and he needs to do a lot more to match the top midfielders in the country.”
Wright, who was standing a few yards away from the Irishman, couldn’t believe what he was hearing and replied simply with a loud “Wow”, before adding: “I think it is a bit harsh.
"He had a good World Cup and yes, he is playing in a team that is not great - and of course him being a focal point he is going to get a lot of attention. But I do feel as though he is ready to go to that next level because I think he is one of our best.”
Keane, like similarly to his playing days, didn’t stand down from a skirmish, hitting back with another withering put-down: “But I think it’s better to play well in a bad team. To me, he doesn’t stand out in a bad team, which is a worry.”
Joe Cole, who knows all too well about leaving a struggling West Ham side for one of the Premier League ’s elite, said that one way or another the Hammers needed to sort out their talisman’s future.
Cole said: “Every time I talk about Declan Rice it is always about his future. West Ham are in the FA Cup, the Conference League and for me, Declan will want to put that to bed and sort it out in the summer. He has got a year left on his contract and it will have to be spoken about.”
