Roy Keane has criticized Manchester United players for not "running hard enough" for Erik ten Hag, criticizing the efforts of the club's first-team stars under the former manager.
Ten Hag was sacked by United earlier this week after a crushing defeat at West Ham, leaving the 13-time Premier League champions flirting with the relegation zone.
The devastated Dutchman received a huge compensation package after his contract was terminated by the United board, with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim confirmed as his successor.
However, former United captain Keane believes the Ten Hag - who won two trophies during his reign at Old Trafford - was let down by his players who responded to his dismissal by scoring five goals in a dominant win against Leicester.
The club legend believes young Amorim has a huge task ahead of him to change the mentality in the US team and said Portugal could face similar problems to Ten Hag. "We are still disappointed. It's a new start, a new manager is coming in a few weeks. We still wish him luck.
"It's a big challenge for him to try to get United back to the top of the table. It's a big ask, we wish him luck," Keane told Sky Sports. "But you always have sympathy for a manager who loses his job and at the end of the day, I think whatever you think of the court, the players let him [Erik ten Hag] down with his efforts and his lack of quality
"The challenge will certainly be the behavior of the players. We emphasize that in the United States team, few players play important positions and do not know how to run, which is a big problem. But they also have players who do not want to run ", he added.
"Or when they run, they don't run enough, or fast enough, or long enough, so you have to have that in the dressing room, that mentality - and the players who don't, you have to try to bring them forward, which is difficult because they have long-term contracts,” Keane said. Amorim will get the chance to face his United team for the first time on November 11 as he looks to turn the club's season around.
The 39-year-old is the only manager in Europe's top five leagues to achieve a 100% winning start to the season with Sporting at the top of the Primeira Liga.
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