During a live ITV broadcast, football pundit Roy Keane couldn`t resist making a playful jab at Arsenal while discussing Myles Lewis-Skelly`s contribution to the England national team.
Keane, a former Manchester United star, was part of the commentary team for England`s match against Latvia, which England won comfortably.
England secured a 3-0 victory at Wembley, thanks to 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, where he went to ground, resulting in a free-kick that James expertly converted.
However, Keane expressed doubt about whether a foul had actually occurred, suggesting that the young player might have gone down too easily.
Upon viewing the replay of Lewis-Skelly falling, Keane remarked with a smile: “He`s obviously learnt that well at Arsenal.”
Ian Wright, another pundit on the panel, responded with laughter and agreed, saying Lewis-Skelly seemed to initiate contact with the defender.
Keane then added, acknowledging Lewis-Skelly`s cleverness: “He was smart with it, wasn`t he.”
Lewis-Skelly has quickly made a positive impression for England, scoring in his debut match against Albania the previous Friday.
His Arsenal teammate, Declan Rice, mentioned that he and other senior players were surprised by the youngster`s self-assurance upon joining the national team setup.
Rice commented on Lewis-Skelly`s attitude: “He is fearless. He conducts himself professionally off the field, and he`s only 18.”
“I try to guide him where I can, but I anticipated he would perform confidently tonight given his inherent self-belief.”
“He remains grounded, and this is just the beginning for him.”
Keane also shared his assessment of Thomas Tuchel`s initial two games managing England.
Under Tuchel, England achieved two consecutive wins without conceding any goals.
Despite the victories, Keane feels there`s still considerable room for improvement and that England should have achieved more decisive wins.
He commented on Tuchel`s start: “If I were to grade it, I`d give him a C+.”
“I believe he is capable of achieving much more. The two matches, on paper, were quite straightforward.”
“It`s a positive start for the manager, and expected victories considering the high number of shots on goal tonight, like 27 shots.”
“There are numerous aspects needing refinement. The final execution could be better, although it`s positive that substitutes made an impact on the game.”
“Overall, it was satisfactory. Just OK.”
