Topics: James Maddison, Roy Keane, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Premier League, Football
Gabby Agbonlahor has revealed the ‘real reason’ he thinks Roy Keane called out James Maddison ahead of Spurs’ 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Sunday.
Maddison, 28, scored the winner to hand Ange Postecoglou’s side a much-needed win in north London.
However, earlier in the week, the England international was the topic of conversation during an episode of Stick to Football brought to you by Sky Bet.
And former Man United captain Keane, 53, did not hold back with his assessment of Spurs and Maddison.
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“We saw Maddison at Tamworth, he was taken off,” Keane said.
“Tamworth are non-league.
"People say Maddison’s the man. When is he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester, and he’ll get relegated with Spurs.
"Maddison isn’t bad when he’s not at the darts, but let me tell you, if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs into the top six, you’re in cuckoo land.”
The former Leicester City man was pictured alongside teammate Brennan Johnson enjoying the darts just hours after Spurs’ 2-2 draw against Wolves in late December.
"He’s good, he’s a talented player,” Keane added. “But if you’re a player in the Spurs dressing room and Maddison’s back in the squad, you wouldn’t be looking and going 'oh Jesus – he’s back today. We’re going to be fine'."
And what better way to silence your critics than on the pitch against their former club and that’s exactly what Maddison did on Sunday.
During the celebrations of his first-half goal, the 28-year-old proceeded to do his usual dart-throwing celebration before putting his finger to his lips, appearing to shush.
But he did not leave it there. After the game, when speaking to Sky Sports, he explained how “people have their opinions”, but he “wanted to do his talking on the pitch”. Although he did not name Keane.
Then, on Monday morning, the 28-year-old posted a clip of Keane laying into him on social media before the video cut to his goal against United.
Later in the day, former Villa forward Agbonlahor, 38, gave his thoughts on the situation and even suggested that Keane’s comments were “pre-planned”.
“Roy Keane’s comments were unprovoked,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.
“Maddison has had a decent season. Can he do better? Yes, he can, but these are unprovoked comments.
“I worked with Roy Keane at Aston Villa. I know his character, what he's like, and didn't like it. There’s no need.
“James Maddison seems like a good lad. Good on him for giving these pundits something back. It just summed Roy Keane up.
“The way the comments were made, it just seemed like it was pre-planned. Let's say something: if it's going to go up on social media, it's going to blow up. There’s just no need for it.”
