Manchester United launched their Premier League campaign at Old Trafford with a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, and Roy Keene doesn’t expect any improvement from them this season
Roy Keene pierced the optimism around Manchester United after the loss of the opening match of the Premier League season. United were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday as two familiar issues continued on Reuben Amorim’s side.
Riccardo Calfioli scored the only goal to close the header early after Altai Bayindir flaped at the corner of Declan Rice. The United Premier League debut was with £200 million new signatures Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, but David Raya left a clean sheet.
United struggled in the goalkeeping division last season. There, Andre Onana was inconsistent, but managed just 44 goals in 38 games in 2024/25. Nevertheless, Amorim heard a post-match optimism note and insisted that “we weren’t boring.” This is an analysis that was quickly rejected by Keene.
Asked if there is a basis for optimism in Sky Sports, Keene replied. “Yeah, we saw today with the couple signing we went in, I was encouraged by that, they looked like Man United players.
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“But as we mentioned many times before, there is a problem behind us, and we hear the sound of not being bored, but in the end we have to score a goal to win a football game or we are constantly under pressure.
“The expectations around the club are very low, so everyone is almost happy.” Later he was asked to predict where his old club would end. “Midtable – 10th, maybe ninth,” he said.
Putting his feelings together, he added: “Expectations at United are so low that even Gary (Neville) said in the commentary, everyone is fine with a 1-0 defeat. They have to get better.
“There were some new signatures, encouragement and they were starting the pitch with a bit of strength on you. Things got better and it’s tough against Arsenal, but there’s no other defeat from the goal. Man United still has problems.”
Mbeumo and Cunha plagued Arsenal’s defense, showing signs of understanding before Sesko came out of the bench in the second half. Amorim has now won seven of his 28 league games, and after finishing 15th last season, Keene explained what to expect next.
“I think it’s about trying to rebuild your team, get confidence and get momentum early in the season. Last year, there’s clearly not much close enough,” he said before kickoff.
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“Even though we’re talking about defense with the goalkeeper, the biggest problem they had during the season was not scoring enough goals, especially if you haven’t got Manchester United when you invested Manchester United, you’re constantly under pressure.
“They obviously tried to fix it this summer. I see the signature in the preseason and know it’s still early, but yeah, the signs are good.
“They brought in two players who obviously knew the Premiership, and they were constantly under pressure because they were robust enough to deal with the challenge and obviously needed a scorer.
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