…but that is now expected anyway. Henry Winter in the Telegraph:
‘Now is the time to forget Roy Keane's forthright lip and focus on his ageing hip. Victory over Chelsea proved that Manchester United operate best not solely when Keane's prickly punditry reverberates in their ears but when shaped in 4-4-2 fashion that precludes the Irishman's presence on grounds of mobility, certainly along the Premiership motorway if not the boulevards of Europe.
‘If Sir Alex Ferguson responds to Sunday's encouraging evidence by persisting with 4-4-2, the 34-year-old Keane could be history at Old Trafford, albeit glorious history. If he leaves for Celtic, Keane's departure must be dictated only by footballing reasons, not because he exercised a captain's prerogative and directed valid barbs at under-achieving colleagues.
‘Ferguson must swallow any piqued pride over his captain's comments and make decisions only with the team's prosperity in mind. The uncertainty is this: when Keane returns from his metatarsal mishap can he survive in a 4-4-2? Such a significant question has long occupied Ferguson's thoughts. The answer can be in the negative only. A competitor once lauded by Sir Bobby Charlton "as the nearest I have seen to Duncan Edwards" is no longer the force of old.
‘In modern midfields, young legs are required to live with dynamos like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. For all his ring-craft, Keane can be exposed over 90 minutes of stamina-sapping combat. Keane marshals his resources effectively, even eye-catchingly for an hour, maybe 70 minutes - but not longer. Such sad reality explains Ferguson's re-designing of his team to accommodate his ageing general, isolating Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack to put another body in midfield, an insurance policy against the one fight Keane cannot win. The warrior from Cork has conquered most opponents, but not Father Time. Words to stir a volcanic competitive spirit need voicing: Keane's days are numbered at Old Trafford.
‘Stretford Enders love their wingers and English football has witnessed few more thrilling sights than George Best, Ryan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo tearing at fearful full-backs. The message of support to the stricken Best on the front of the United programme underlines a passionate affinity with charismatic wingers.
‘Old Trafford has bewitched countless generations by offering a stage for virtuoso wingers to express themselves, not for the cautious 4-5-1 production scripted by Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz, betraying a club's famous tradition.
‘In Ferguson's Keane-shielding 4-5-1, Rooney would often be used out wide, a mistake Sven-Goran Eriksson briefly made with England. If Keane's departure means Rooney being guaranteed his optimum position, then let the agents begin advertising the Irishman's wares now.’