Roy Keane has criticised Eberechi Eze for being 'sloppy' in his play for Arsenal and England, urging the 28-year-old to embrace competition at both club and international level.
Speaking on ITV before England's Nations League match against Czechia, the former Manchester United captain said he was disappointed with Eze's cameo in the 7-0 win over Croatia, where he replaced Anthony Gordon in the 70th minute.
Keane's criticism of Eze
"I was disappointed with him the other night when he came on," Keane told ITV. "Obviously, England are attacking and doing really well, so when you get opportunities, you've got to take them. I thought he was really sloppy with some of his play, so it's a big opportunity for him tonight."
Keane continued to emphasise the importance of the match for Eze: "It's a big test for him tonight. We know how good he is at coming and getting the ball. But we didn't see that running power off the ball [against Croatia]. I'm not sure whether he really wants to do it or is unaware he's not doing it, but I think it's a big night for him."
Wright's defence
Keane's fellow ITV pundit Ian Wright came to the player's defence, saying: "He's got a playing style where if you're sloppy and you're playing with that languid kind of style, then it can look worse than it is. I'm not saying he should change his style. But he just needs to tighten everything up a bit because he's an amazing player."
Eze, 28, started for England in their Nations League match against Czechia and played the full 90 minutes of their 3-0 win. It is just the second time he has not been substituted on or off in his 25 caps. Both of those were under Thomas Tuchel, the other being in the friendly that England lost to Senegal last June. All but one of his six starts have also come since the former Chelsea boss took charge 18 months ago.
Speaking more generally about mentality, before focusing back in on Eze, Keane concluded: "I just worry sometimes players are going: 'Oh, it's not my time, or he's better than me'... Embrace that challenge that the other players have brought to the England squad and at Arsenal. He seems just to shy away from it, embrace that and bring your A-game. As I said, I've watched him far too many times, and there are just too many sloppy moments."
