Keane first grabbed headlines by likening Haaland’s performance to that of a League Two player after the Norwegian striker failed to score in Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal. This comment sparked widespread attention and criticism for its perceived severity and lack of justification. However, Keane later adjusted his assessment, raising Haaland’s performance to a Championship level after the striker scored his 21st goal of the season in a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, a former Aston Villa forward who worked under Keane during his time as assistant manager, dismissed Keane’s evaluation of Haaland, stating to Razed, “He can be a bit of a prat sometimes. I think it was a bit over the top, but he likely said it tongue in cheek. I worked with him at Aston Villa, and he can say a few things for the sake of it. His comments on Erling Haaland were clickbait comments because Haaland wasn’t brought to Manchester City to get involved.”
Agbonlahor suggested that Keane’s remarks might stem from his long-standing feud with Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, which originated from a contentious incident during a match in 1997. During a game between Leeds United and Manchester United, Alf-Inge confronted Keane angrily, believing he was feigning injury. It was later revealed to be a serious injury affecting Keane’s cruciate ligament.
Years later, in 2001, when Haaland was playing for Manchester City, Keane made a reckless tackle on him, ending his professional career prematurely. This incident escalated the hostility between the two players and became emblematic of their rivalry.
Agbonlahor remarked, “I bet Erling Haaland has seen this criticism and is laughing. Has it come from Roy Keane because of what he did to Erling Haaland’s father and the relationship there? Some people don’t forget things and they’ve got something against a family member and then have it against his son. Maybe that’s where it’s come from.”
Reflecting on his own experience with Keane at Villa, Agbonlahor said, “I felt he was not a bully but very over the top with players and a few of the players didn’t have it off him. He ended up leaving because he couldn’t handle the fact that some players gave him some stick back. It was a shame because I was excited when he came but he was a dreadful coach and an angry man. The Roy Keane on Sky is completely different from the Roy Keane as a coach.”
Despite Keane’s criticism, Haaland leads the Premier League Golden Boot race with 21 goals. His upcoming fixtures include matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham, with an FA Cup final against Manchester United presenting an opportunity to further add to his impressive trophy collection with City.
Erling Haaland
Erling Håland
EnglandThis season he played in total 27 times for 2215 minutes for Premier League.
Erling Haaland scored 20 goals for Manchester City. He procured 5 assists. He received 1 yellow card and no red cards.
His team is currently 2nd in Premier League. In the last match Manchester City won 2-0 against Nottingham Forest. The next match in Premier League will be against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City
Manchester City is currently 2nd in the Premier League with 79 points.
In the last 34 games, it has won 24 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Manchester City won 0-2 against Nottingham Forest.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 82 goals and conceding 32.
Manchester City will play the next match in Premier League against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday 4th of May in Manchester.
