Ashley Barnes rolled Keane at Turf Moor like it was open age Sunday League Alehouse Vets Team v an u11s happy clappers kids team with dads’ with initials on rain jackets heaping well dones galore about even when the kid hates playing. How Keane played for England is up there with Nugent & Jeffers international status.
To give it perspective, he wasn’t good enough for United, built a reputation at a hard working Burnley who are well drilled in collective responsibility, played on the left side of the pairing in the games I saw, in a familiar back line. He got capped, people said he was better than he was, got a huge move and has looked petrified ever since. Needs experience around him, wants to be deep and head stuff away as used to being under pressure. Came here, not what he expected, manager who bought him has gone, played with different partners, big price tag has brought expectation that is above his ability. Looks nervous and uncomfortable on the ball, timid in his challenges and looks out of his depth.
Every centre firework in the league wants to play against him, we know that and so does he. Not good enough based on his first season and hard to see him improving, he is limited as a player and nothing can really change that. The basic tools aren’t there from what I’ve seen. I actually hope I’m wrong but we bought him on reputation and availability rather than being a natural fit for a longstanding problem area of our side.