Manchester United secured FA Cup final glory on Saturday by beating Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley.
Only 12 months ago, the first all-Manchester FA Cup final ended in heartache for the red half when Ilkay Gundogan scored inside 13 seconds.
But this time it was Manchester United winning the bragging rights with Kobbie Mainoo scoring the winning goal.
Given that the under-fire Erik ten Hag guided Manchester United to an eighth-placed finish – their worst-ever of the Premier League era – then you can understand why his players have suffered so much backlash this term.
One man who hasn’t been shy to voice his frustration and anger at the team’s performances has been Roy Keane.
Given how he is regarded at Old Trafford, his voice is then heard louder than others and it then doesn’t help when he is a regular on TV.
There probably hasn’t been anyone better who has worn that captain’s armband than Keane, with Bruno Fernandes now tasked with that after he replaced Harry Maguire in that role at the start of the season.
After the full-time whistle, when the players were heading up to collect their medals, Keane admitted that he has been ‘proved wrong’ by the Portuguese star.
The outspoken pundit added that ‘his leadership was outstanding’ on top of ‘we always mention how brilliant he is as a player’, as he told ITV Sport.
It was Fernandes’s quite stunning first-time assist to Mainoo that put Manchester United 2-0 ahead just before the break, and in the end, proved to be the winning goal.
Bruno Fernandes’s assist as Manchester United secure FA Cup final glory
“I think they had a bit of confidence from the last two games against Brighton and Newcastle, where they were back scoring goals,” said Keane.
“But they showed character. I have been critical of Bruno (Fernandes) over the years and I am happy to be proved wrong. His leadership today was outstanding. We have always mentioned how brilliant he is as a player.
“We are quick to criticise and Manchester City didn’t have a great day. But it’s about Man United. You have to enjoy these moments. Wembley is only good if you win. We hear everyone say ‘it’s great going to Wembley’. When you win. When you lose, it’s not good.”
Will Erik ten Hag get sacked after FA Cup final win?
That’s the million-dollar question. There has been a lot of talk pre-match, with some suggestions that ten Hag has already been told he will go, regardless of what would have happened in the final.
Now that he has won – his second successive trophy – it remains to be seen what comes out of it.
READ MORE: ‘I would go’… Manchester United star told he should leave for new club to become ‘main man’
Sources have told HITC that Manchester United are ‘angered’ by suggestions that they have already held talks with potential successors.
The likes of Kieran McKenna, who has previously worked at Old Trafford, and has now guided Ipswich Town to back-to-back promotion has been mentioned.
Including Mauricio Pochettino after he recently left Chelsea and England boss Gareth Southgate – he recently named his training squad ahead of Euro 2024 and left out Marcus Rashford.
The post ‘I have been critical’: Roy Keane admits he's been 'proved wrong' by Manchester United star after FA Cup win appeared first on HITC.
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