- 12 hours ago
Maddison steps up Keane feud: I hope he enjoyed the goal!
Robin Bairner
- 17 Feb 2025 01:10 CST
- 3 min read
James Maddison grabbed the winning goal for Tottenham against Manchester United on Sunday and subsequently hit out at his critics, including pundit Roy Keane.
Celebrating his strike, Maddison put his finger to his lips in a ‘Shh’ gesture and subsequently told Sky Sports that he was making his point to those who have taken aim at him previously, particularly singling out Keane.
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James Maddison
AM, M (C)
Tottenham
James Maddison
AM, M (C)
Tottenham
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“There’s been a little bit of outside noise this week, hasn’t there?” he said smiling. “People have their opinions but I want to do my talking on the pitch. But I hope a certain few enjoyed the match-winner today.
"No one’s more critical of myself than me. The gaffer talks about blocking out the outside noise but sometimes it’s in your face with social media and people send you stuff. It gets sent through to your phone especially if it’s come from a high-profile name but it’s about responding in the right way. I did that today. I was the match-winner, so really delighted."
Maddison’s comments seem directed towards Keane, who is a former Manchester United player and something of an icon at Old Trafford.
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What did Roy Keane say to make Maddison angry?
The Irishman had previously claimed that Maddison’s return from injury would not have a big impact at Spurs, doing so in a typically blunt fashion.
“We saw Maddison at Tamworth. He was taken off. Tamworth are non-league. People say, Maddison's the man. When's he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester. He going to get relegated with Spurs!” Keane told the Overlap, going on a trademark rant.
“Madison isn't bad, when he's not at the darts. But let me tell you, if you think he's going to come back and get Spurs top six, you're in cuckoo land.
“He good, he’s a talented player, but if you're a player in the Spurs dressing room and Madison's back in the squad, you wouldn't be looking and going: ‘He's back today, we're going to be fine.’
“England had a squad of 300 at Euro 2024, he couldn't even get in that. Don’t kid yourselves everyone.
“I've asked you to name some players who would improve Spurs. You're naming players and you go: ‘Yeah, they're not bad.’”
Maddison’s goal carried Tottenham above Man Utd in the Premier League standings before a trip to Ipswich Town next weekend.
