Roy Keane joked that Manchester City’s players were “scared” of Manchester United after coming out late to warm up ahead of the FA Cup final at Wembley.
City’s stars emerged from the tunnel at 2:25pm, just 15 minutes before the pitch needed to be cleared for the pre-match ceremony.
City went into the final as overwhelming favourites to get the job done and scoop a second successive FA Cup crown. Their late show for the warm-up, however, was not a concern for former City defender Joleon Lescott.
READ MORE: City vs United LIVE
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag fights back with huge claim about his United future
He told ITV Sport: “I am sure they were aware. I am sure they do pre-activation before they come out and don’t come out cold.”
Keane, however, saw it as an opportunity to make a pre-match joke, saying that City may have reported late for their warm-up because they feared going head-to-head with their cross-city rivals.
He said: “Maybe they’re scared!”
The former United captain’s comment made host Mark Pougatch and fellow pundits Ian Wright and Lescott laugh. Keane, of course, accepted that United were underdogs, pointing to City’s dominance at the top of English football in recent years.
Widespread reports in the national media on Friday claimed that Erik ten Hag will be axed following the final.
Keane said: “It is really important from a player’s point of view to not use that as an excuse. There has been speculation about the manager leaving, but don’t use that.
“Your pride and your own belief and conviction in what you want to do should not creep into that dressing room.”
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
