Saha questions if former team-mate Keane has 'right mentality for modern football'

Former French international and Manchester United player Louis Saha dished out some words of advice to his former teammate Roy Keane this week, warning that Keane will have to "adapt" if he is return to football management from his current role as a television pundit. 

Citing how he believes that football has "changed" and that Keane's "mentality might not be suited for modern football", Saha was keen to emphasise that he would encourage him to get back in the dugout and step back from the microphone.

"It will be good for Keane to see things are harder than what he says in his punditry. It will be good to come back to management to realise how hard the job is. With all the respect I have for Keane, I do think he will do well, he knows football..."

Roy's Return?

And Saha believes that his former club captain has the intelligence and temperament to handle a return to management, addressing Keane's stint on Ireland's coaching staff and saying that he would "try not to repeat any mistakes". He continued to say that Keane's "great sense of humour" is another key component in what gives him "all the qualities to be a great manager, he's a very smart lad. Everyone always thinks he's really tough, but at the same time he's funny, and you can see it in his punditry."

Forward-Thinking:

Saha, as a former striker who racked up 85 Premier League goals in his career, also gave his take on three forwards experiencing varying fortunes in Harry Kane, Erling-Braut Harland and Darwin Nunez.

Describing Haaland's contribution of 15 goals and 3 assists in ten appearances since his arrival at Manchester City as "extraordinary" and saying that "no one has ever done what Haaland is doing, especially at his age and just arriving in England a few months ago". When making comparisons with England striker Harry Kane, Saha doesn't think that the Tottenham Hotspur man is being "overlooked" when it comes to receiving plaudits, he said:

"At the end of the season, people will see what Kane has achieved. There will be weeks when everyone is talking about Haaland and other weeks when people talk about Kane. English media has been accused of pressuring and reporting too much on English players, so I think it's good that he is being left alone without any bad stories."

The frenchman also believes that Kane is benefitting this season from Tottenham having a "similar DNA" to Jose Mourinho's 2004-05 Premier League title winning Chelsea squad, saying that "Spurs don't play beautiful football" unlike their North London rivals Arsenal, when their 'Invincibles' team won the title. 

Darwin's Evolution:

Turning his attention to a forward who hasn't had such favourable fortunes in this campaign, and carrying the burden of being Sadio Mane's replacement, Saha called on Liverpool's Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez to add "physicality" to his game, declaring that he "doesn't quite understand the movements of getting ahead of the defender", who "he is always in a fight with." Nunez has already received a Premier League red card in his short spell on Merseyside so far, and has scored two league games, having been suspended for three games. 

But, Saha claims Nunez has "been very unlucky" and that the "sharpness" is clearly there if he is able to continue "adapting" to English football and to add more goals to his game. Saha offered assurances that he believes Nunez possesses the talent but "he has to understand that it takes time", acknowledging that "low confidence" was likely to be playing a part. Saha understands the pressures of playing as a number nine for a top club in the Premier League and ultimately has one key message for Nunez, "as a striker, it's all about goals".  

This interview with Louis Saha was provided by Boyle Sports

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