Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham

Roy Keane spoke with Erik ten Hag after the victory (Image: Sky Sports)

Roy Keane fired a cheeky warning at Erik ten Hag following Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday.

The Red Devils got their 2024/25 campaign underway with an important three points, despite struggling for significant periods of time. New signing Joshua Zirkzee came off of the bench to grab the winner, guiding a cute finish past Bernd Leno in the 87th minute.

With a fresh face bagging the all-important goal and United in the heart of a rebuild, there was an aura of optimism and positivity around Old Trafford once the full-time whistle sounded. However, Keane joked that he could be lured into raining on the parade soon.

Related articles Man Utd transfer news LIVE: Ugarte close as another Casemiro replacement eyed Liverpool plot another £51m swoop as Chelsea 'close in' on swap deal

Ten Hag was in good spirits when talking to Sky Sports after his side’s victory, prompting him to poke the bear and question why Keane was markedly quieter than usual in the interview. The Dutchman remarked: “You’re quiet! You don’t want to spoil the vibes?”

function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=114291&vp_content=plembed3e7arguyxmsj&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v114291');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)} window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114291"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)})

Keane joked back: “Not tonight, not tonight. Next week! I’ll be waiting.” Ten Hag laughed off the remark before Keane continued: “Just keep winning. It’s easy. It’s so simple.”

Ten Hag is likely to come under immense pressure if United are unable to compete on all fronts for silverware this season, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe putting his faith in the Dutchman after a parting of ways was considered over the summer.

Don't miss... Man Utd eye transfer for 'next Antonio Valencia' as Erik ten Hag plots new move

Joshua Zirkzee came off of the bench to bag a late winner for the Red Devils (Image: Getty)

But the ex-Ajax boss is confident that his side will improve plenty for the performance against Fulham. He said: “I think one space we have to fill is to kill in the box. We saw it in the friendlies and last week against (Manchester) City.

“We create enough chances not to wait for a late winner. We have to be more composed and kill. Players have to come into full speed. We have enough players with scoring abilities. We have to be more composed and we have to kill and execute in front of the goal.”

SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Erik ten Hag called for his side to be more ruthless in the final third (Image: Getty)

Ten Hag also heaped praise on Zirkzee after his new arrival marked his debut with a crucial goal, saying: “It’s very good for a striker coming into Manchester United to score the winning goal in his first game. For him, it’s very pleasing. Very happy for him. Very encouraging for him, for the fans, for everyone. It’s a very good start.

“He has some attributes we didn’t have. Straight away, he showed it. He’s very good with linking up and combinations. He has to arrive in the box to score goals. He did. And if it’s the winner then it’s very pleasing for everyone.”

Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham

Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham

Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham

Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham

Roy Keane puts Erik ten Hag on notice with ominous warning after Man Utd beat Fulham