Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane believes his former club is a “proof” of their Champions League qualification. The Sky Sports pundit’s comments were an 11-word reversal of his previous position that United were not ready to play in Europe’s top tournament.
The Red Devils defeated Aston Villa 3-1 on Sunday afternoon to consolidate their position in third place in the Premier League. Goals from Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesco sandwiched Ross Barkley’s equaliser, giving United a three-point cushion over third-placed Villa heading into Liverpool’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Michael Carrick’s side are also six points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea and, judging by England’s overall performance in Europe this season, fifth place seems well placed to secure Champions League qualification.
And Keane is now confident his former employer will return to top European competition for the first time since 2023. Keane, 54, believes United are certain to qualify.
He said: “Yes, I think that’s for sure. No distractions, just focus on the game and try to recover. Villa looked a bit flat today (after playing in the Europa League on Thursday), but United were quite comfortable in the second half.”
“If you give a player like Bruno time and space, you will be punished. I think United are absolutely guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League.”
Keane’s perspective marks a change from the days of Ruben Amorim at the helm. United struggled to persuade under the former Sporting manager, who was sacked in January, while the Red Devils occupied sixth place in the Premier League table.
United’s difficulties under Amorim prompted Keane to declare in December that his former club would not qualify for the Champions League.
He said: “I’m not convinced. He (Ruben Amorim) has a contract for pre-season, but they don’t have Europe, but he hasn’t shown it yet.”
“We are still waiting. There are still question marks. We are talking about the top four, but they are not ready for that.”
United resume their campaign at Bournemouth on Friday night (8pm GMT). There will be no further games after that until the end of the international break, when they host Leeds on April 13th.
