Manchester United striker Will Keane scored five goals against Norwich’s U21 squad, but is unlikely to help his senior club this weekend
Will Keane being called up to the Manchester United senior team for their match against Sunderland this weekend is a great story. Unfortunately for Louis van Gaal, it’s highly unlikely it will mean anything on the actual pitch at Sunderland on Saturday.
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Scoring five goals in a U21 match is a nice accomplishment, but it’s a far cry from scoring even one goal in the Premier League. That’s what makes van Gaal’s reported decision it include Keane in the squad versus Sunderland so odd. When assessing Keane’s chances of making an impact at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, it makes much more sense to judge him on his 22 match stretch in the Championship.
Keane’s time at Preston didn’t prove to be much help to his loan club. To say he struggled there would be a serious understatement. He only managed to score twice during his time away from his parent club. They were more than happy to see him return to van Gaal and United.
That doesn’t make Keane a bad player, it just means that his form this year hasn’t been anywhere near the Premier League standard. His five goal outburst in a youth game is nice, but it’s a flash in the pan in all likelihood.
In some ways, it’s unfair that van Gaal is going to potentially throw Keane into a Premier League match at this point in the season. United has struggled mightily to score goals and throwing an untested 23-year-old seems like an awfully difficult proposition for Keane.
It’s the type of move that could crush a player’s confidence before it has a chance to reach the Premier League minimum. If Keane does see the pitch on Saturday, it could do irreparable damage to his career development. Van Gaal would be wise not to get him anywhere near the field of play.
It’s possible that the United manager is aware of this fact and is just bringing Keane on the trip as a kind of reward for his hard work. If so, credit the often arrogant manager for some clever man management.
As you might imagine, I’m not optimistic that van Gaal is that in tune with his prospect’s emotional needs. It’s much more likely that he is bringing Keane to Sunderland on a hope and a prayer. That’s the depth of United’s desperation at this point in time.
Related Story: Van Gaal is desperate to think Will Keane is the answer
Will Keane may go on to have a productive Manchester United career, but it isn’t likely to start against Sunderland this weekend. Fans of the young forward should hope that he stays comfortably on the substitute’s bench during an easy United victory.