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28th Feb 2017

Roy Keane wants a certain Irish player at Manchester United and very few people will disagree

Robert Redmond

He has been banging this drum for a while.

Manchester United aren’t short of full-backs, but Roy Keane reckons Seamus Coleman would be perfect for his former team.

Antonio Valencia, despite being a converted winger, has performed admirably at right-back this season for Jose Mourinho’s side.

However, it could be argued that there are few better full-backs in the Premier League than Coleman when the Irishman is on-form.

And he has been brilliant for Everton this season.

Coleman has three goals and three assists so far, and has shown the form that saw him voted in the Premier League’s team of the season three years ago.

He’s excellent defensively in one against one scenarios, offers a dangerous attacking outlet and covers a lot of ground on Everton’s right-hand side.

Keane, who works with the 28-year-old with the Republic of Ireland, claims that United would be a great fit for Coleman.

“I’d love to see Seamus at Man United. It would suit him down to the ground,” Keane said at a fundraising event in Letterkenny last Friday.

“Obviously, he’s at a very good club in Everton. He isn’t getting any younger.

“From a selfish point of view, from an Irish point of view, you want players like Seamus playing in the Champions League and getting a taste of football at that level.

“Saying that, joining United might not mean Champions League at this moment in time.”

However, the Ireland assistant manager, who spent 12 years at Old Trafford, admitted he isn’t a fan of Mourinho.

Keane also played down suggestions that United have been impressive in the Premier League, and questioned their record against the teams near the top of the table.

“I’ve very little time for Mourinho,” Keane said last Friday, before United won the EFL Cup against Southampton at Wembley.

“I look at United and the run they’re on now. They’re sixth in the league. People are like, ‘I can see progress’, [but] they’re sixth in the league. They’ve beaten no one in three months

“I judge United on the big games. Chelsea and one or two others are coming up now. If you want to play for United and be successful they are the games you have to be winning.”