Legendary Manchester United winger-turned-pundit Ryan Giggs has claimed that the defensive singings of Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind drove Michael Keane out of Old Trafford.
Keane, who is now impressing for Burnley, left United after Rojo and Blind were signed by former manager Louis van Gaal.
Deserves his chance
Keane was considered, alongside his striker Will, to be among the brightest talents in the United academy at the time, with Giggs then assistant to Van Gaal as he was making his way through the system and to the fringes of the first-team.
However, Keane was never given a regular opportunity in the first-team, with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones having already established themselves and with Rojo and Blind been brought in to bolster the club's defensive options.
This saw the 24-year-old leave for Burnley initially on loan after two appearances for the Red Devils, and he has flourished since his permanent move to Turf Moor back in 2015.
After Burnley's return to the top-flight, Keane has come on leaps and bounds which has seen him recognised on the international stage. He received his first England senior cap on Wednesday in the 1-0 defeat to Germany and Giggs stated that the youngster deserved his chance.
The Welshman told ITV Sport: "At the time we had [Chris] Smalling. We had [Phil] Jones. Louis [Van Gaal] had brought in Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind.
The Dutchman's former assistant coach conceded:"So he wasn't playing. Credit to him like I say, he's gone away, knuckled down. He deserves his chance because he's been consistently good in the Premier League.”
Flattering to see
Keane's professional debut in the Westfalenstadion seems to be only the start for the young defender.
He is looking to finish the season off in style by helping Burnley finish as high as possible in the Premier League table with a comfortable eight points currently separating them and the relegation zone.
However there are questions if he will be at Turf Moor with both Liverpool and Everton reportedly looking to bring him to Merseyside.
Keane himself admitted that he was flattered by the interest but stated that he is focused on Burnley for the foreseeable future.
"It’s flattering to see," Keane admitted on interest from some of the English top-flight's biggest clubs. "But I’m focused on Burnley."
The defender said: “We’ve got nine games left in the season. We need to make sure we remain in the league. But to see things like that can only mean you’re playing well.”