During ITV`s coverage of England`s match against Latvia, Roy Keane, the former Manchester United player, couldn`t resist making a playful jab at Arsenal while analyzing Myles Lewis-Skelly`s performance for England.
Keane was part of the panel for the ITV broadcast as England comfortably defeated Latvia.
England secured a 3-0 win at Wembley against Latvia, with goals from Reece James, Harry Kane, and Eberechi Eze.
In the first half, Lewis-Skelly was involved in a moment just outside the penalty area that led to a freekick, from which James scored a beautiful goal.
However, Keane expressed doubt about whether the 18-year-old was actually fouled, suggesting he might have gone down too easily.
After watching a replay of Lewis-Skelly falling, Keane remarked, “He`s obviously learnt that well at Arsenal.”
Ian Wright, another pundit on the panel, responded with laughter and agreed, “You can see he`s taken to get that touch in front [of the defender].”
Keane added, “He was smart with it, wasn`t he.”
Lewis-Skelly has quickly made a positive impression for England, scoring in his debut against Albania last Friday.
His Arsenal teammate, Declan Rice, mentioned that he and other senior players were surprised by the young player`s confidence right from his first time with the national team.
Rice commented on Lewis-Skelly`s attitude, saying: “He is fearless. He does everything correctly off the field, and he`s only 18.”
“I try to guide him where I can, but I knew he`d perform like this tonight because he is full of confidence.”
“He remains humble, and this is just the beginning for him.”
Keane also shared his assessment of Thomas Tuchel`s first two matches as England`s manager.
Under Tuchel, England has won both games without conceding any goals.
Despite the victories, Keane believes there is still considerable room for improvement and that England should have won by larger margins.
Keane stated, “If this were a school report, Tuchel would get a C+.”
“I believe he is capable of achieving much more. The first two matches seemed straightforward on paper.”
“It`s a positive start for the manager, and while two wins were expected, considering the 27 shots tonight, there`s still work to be done.”
“There are many aspects to improve. The final execution wasn`t always perfect, though it was good that the substitutes made an impact on the game.”
“Overall, I thought it was OK. Just OK.”
