Roy Keane: Tackle that broke Luke Shaw's leg was 'a brilliant challenge'
Lightning rod of controversy and ex-Manchester United player Roy Keane has again come down with a case of foot-in-mouth disease, as the current ITV pundit claimed there was nothing wrong with the tackle that broke Luke Shaw's leg.
Related - Manchester United's Luke Shaw carted off with broken leg vs. PSV
United's young full-back Shaw may never be the same after suffering a double leg fracture on a tackle by PSV's Hector Moreno. It was a violent, two-footed tackle where the trailing foot caught Shaw's planted right leg, snapping it in two places, a fact that Keane was willing to overlook in order to characterize the tackle.
"I thought it was a brilliant challenge. I love the physical side of the game. You can always tell by the players’ reactions - they are the best judges as they are near the tackle. They didn’t think it was a bad challenge at the time," Keane said, according to ESPN FC.
The bullish midfielder spent 13 years at Old Trafford and was an integral element of a spine that lacked little in moxie. His penchant for on-field violence transitioned well into a post-playing career littered with controversy and daft comments.
Keane's words on the Shaw injury shouldn't surprise United fans, who witnessed the ex-Ireland international's 2001 leg-breaking and career-ending tackle on Manchester City's Alf Inge Haaland - a moment Keane later claimed was intentional and an act of revenge.
Perhaps Shaw will suffer a fate similar to that of the ex-Norwegian international. The hopes are, however, that he will make a full recovery.
Regardless, bone-shattering tackles are collateral damage in a sport where speed is at a premium, and Keane would rather applaud the effort than dwell on the consequence.
"When players are travelling at great speed then (injuries) are always going to happen," Keane said. "I am surprised there’s not more. It was an accident with his trailing foot."
Shaw, who is set to undergo a second operation on his broken tibia and fibula, might see things a bit differently.