Roy Keane has criticised Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire for failing to maintain discipline in the Manchester United dressing room, accusing the pair of being too preoccupied with podcast appearances to set an example for their team-mates.
The former United captain's comments come after Lisandro Martinez made outspoken remarks about the club's hierarchy, questioning the lack of investment during the summer transfer window and directing criticism at Jason Wilcox. The Argentine defender also raised concerns about the overall quality of the squad, comments believed to have sparked a confrontation with a team-mate on the flight back to Manchester.
Keane's podcast criticism
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: "Bruno, Maguire... They're probably busy doing podcasts, I can't imagine them pulling him [Martinez]. Bruno's body language, he doesn't seem a happy lad at the moment."
Fernandes, United's captain, appeared on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast during the summer, where he appeared to take a dig at Keane. Maguire, left out of Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad, featured on The Rest Is Football podcast in New York during the tournament.
Dressing room standards
Keane added: "They're pulling nobody. This reflects where Manchester United are and where this dressing room is. Maguire gets left out of the England squad - he's all upset with that. Instead of rolling his sleeves up during the summer, 'I'm going to go to New York and do a podcast for a few weeks.'"
He continued: "That's his mindset. I made a mistake with Bruno on this programme. Bruno goes on a podcast with [Steven Bartlett] this is the Man United captain, he goes on there, has a little dig at me, no problem, he's entitled to respond."
"That's the mindset of a Man United player, I'm going to start doing these little gigs instead of getting Man United competing at the very top. So this idea, when I see a player have a little b**** the last few days, I'd be more annoyed at Maguire and Bruno for getting things off their chests on podcasts. You get your priorities in place as a footballer."
United's struggles
Keane went on to say: "Back in our day it was more magazines than podcasts, but if a player went off and said something, even silly, he'd come in the dressing room, and lads would say: 'What are you talking about?'"
"You'd put him in his place in that sense - not a big bust-up. Man United is a circus. If you can, try and do your talking on the pitch. If you have to let off a bit of steam, ok, but try and do it on the back of some victories, or when you've won a league title or something like that."
"These players have done nothing for the last few years at Man United. Two years ago we were finishing 13th (15th) or whatever, getting knocked out by Grimsby, and they're coming up with all these comments."
The Stick to Football panel, featuring Keane, Gary Neville, Steven Gerrard, Ian Wright and Jill Scott, were in agreement that Martinez's criticism of the club's recruitment could cause friction within the dressing room. It remains unclear which player confronted Martinez, though his outburst is understood to have angered several squad members. The defender could also face internal disciplinary action over his remarks.
