Roy Keane slams ‘arrogant’ England as ‘awful’

ROY KEANE called out England's "arrogant" and "awful" display after their victory over Ireland on Saturday.

The Three Lions won 2-0 in Dublin to kick-off their Nations League campaign under interim boss Lee Carsley.

First half goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, both former Irish internationals, proved to be the difference.

However, the match was not without incident as Rice opted not to celebrate against the side he won three caps for as a teenager.

Meanwhile, Carsley stuck to his word as he chose not to sing the national anthem prior to kick-off.

The temporary England boss made 39 appearances for the Boys in Green as a player.

It was the Euro 2024 finalists' second half performance which Keane took exception too, though.

Speaking on ITV after the final whistle, he exclaimed: "The frustrating thing today is Ireland were there for the taking.

"England dominated the first-half. We praised them, their decision-making, their quality, their movement, but that was the opposite for the second-half.

"I thought they were awful in the second-half, players playing for themselves, taking too many touches, trying to play Roy of the Rovers passes.

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

"Ireland played with a lot of pride in the second-half but as good as England were in the first-half I thought they were just as bad in the second-half.

"Players playing for themselves. Even the substitute players strolling on, strolling off, showing a bit of arrogance.

"There's a team there for the taking, especially for attacking players, if you're on that pitch you're thinking, ‘I've got chances here to go and score a goal’."

The former Manchester United captain's outburst followed another heated rant aimed at the FAI at half-time.

Despite Keane's assessment of their display, England began their Nations League campaign with a victory.

Carsley's side are back in action on Tuesday as they host Finland, who were beaten 3-0 by Greece, at Wembley Stadium.

As for the return fixture against Ireland, the two sides will renew acquaintances in November.