Roy Keane slams Man United stars for letting down Erik ten Hag and names the ‘big challenge’ awaiting incoming Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim

Roy Keane has blamed Manchester United players for not ‘running hard enough’ for Erik ten Hag as he criticised the efforts of the club’s first-team stars under the former manager.

Ten Hag was sacked by United at the start of the week after a damning defeat against West Ham left the 13-time Premier League champions flirting with the relegation zone.

The beleaguered Dutchman received a huge payout after his contract was terminated by United’s board with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim confirmed as his successor.

However, ex-United captain Keane believes Ten Hag – who won two trophies during his reign at Old Trafford – was let down by his players who responded to his sacking by scoring five goals in a dominant win over Leicester.

The club legend believes the incoming Amorim has a huge task at hand in changing the mindset within United’s squad and stressed that the Portuguese native could face similar problems to Ten Hag.

United stars have underperformed this season with Ten Hag sacked as a result of their struggles

Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim (pictured) has been confirmed as Ten Hag’s successor

‘Disappointed, you always are. It’s a new start, new manager coming in in a couple of weeks. You always wish him well. 

‘It’s a big challenge for him trying to get United back competing at the top of the table. It’s a big ask, you wish him well,’ Keane told Sky Sports.

‘But you always have sympathy for a manager losing his job and ultimately I think, whatever [you think] about the board, the players let him [Erik ten Hag] down by their efforts and not being good enough.

United legend Keane believes the club’s first-team players need to have their mentality shifted

‘The challenge will be, of course, getting players in. We make the point about there’s a few players in the United team in big positions who can’t run, right, which is a big problem. But they also have players who don’t want to run,’ he added.

‘Or when they do run they don’t run hard enough, or run fast enough or long enough, so he’s got to get that in the dressing room, that mentality – and the players who aren’t doing it, you have to try move them on, which is difficult because they’re on long-term contracts,’ said Keane.

Amorim will get the chance to get to grips with his underperforming United squad for the first time on November 11 when he gets to work in changing the club’s season around.

The 39-year-old is the only manager in Europe’s top five leagues to maintain a 100 per cent winning start to the season with Sporting top of the Primeira Liga.