Piers Morgan has insisted that Roy Keane is “bang on” with his scathing assessment of Michael Carrick after he dropped Cristiano Ronaldo for the Chelsea clash.
Ronaldo, who made his blockbuster return to Manchester United in the summer, replaced Jadon Sancho in the second half of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was visibly frustrated after he stormed down the tunnel at full-time and didn’t shake hands with the Chelsea players.
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Ronaldo has been in excellent goalscoring form in his second spell at United, with the Portugese forward scoring 10 times in 15 appearances.
During a heated debate with fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, Keane hit out at Carrick’s decision to drop the 36-year-old United superstar.
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“Ronaldo isn't one for coming off the bench -- he was probably freezing there,” he said on Sky Sports.
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“Ronaldo has not come back to Manchester United to sit on the bench. Why Carrick is trying to give him a high-five, I don't know. Let him get down the tunnel, there is nothing wrong with a player being upset.
“Ronaldo has not come back to Manchester United to sit on the bench. What is the point?
“He is a world-class player. His stats since he came back to the club are ok -- he has got some goals and some assists. This idea that he is going to start closing people down? He's not.
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“Sometimes you have to work around a superstar. I've played with players who don't do the bit you hope -- the Cantonas of this world -- but you forgive them because they score the winning goals in tight matches.
“Ronaldo has to be in the starting XI. This idea of resting him? Villarreal didn't take a lot out of the players and they are not playing again until Thursday night. He could have played easily.”
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Morgan has now followed Keane in criticising Carrick and described Ronaldo’s treatment as “outrageous.”
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The former Good Morning Britain co-host also called the United caretaker manager a “halfwit” as he defended close pal Ronaldo.
Morgan tweeted: “Keane’s bang on… [Ronaldo] has scored ten goals this season but gets benched by a temporary managerial halfwit who helped [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer drive United into mid-table mediocrity.
“Outrageous way to treat the world’s best footballer.”
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United will return to Premier League action on Thursday for their clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Featured Image Credit: PA/Football DailyTopics: Roy Keane, Michael Carrick, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Chelsea, Premier League, England, Football
