Former NFL defensive lineman and Burnley co-owner JJ Watt has asked Manchester United legend Roy Keane if he was "smoking weed" when he made his recent comments about Erling Haaland.
Keane brutally claimed Haaland's general play was comparable to a "League Two player" following Manchester City's 0-0 draw with Arsenal last month, prompting Pep Guardiola to hit back and defend his star striker.
However, Keane has since doubled down on his criticism of Haaland after Watt questioned his stance on the Stick to Football podcast, with the former NFL star asking: "League Two striker? Were you smoking weed?"
Keane, though, stood by his comments and insisted: "I don't know what the big deal is, I give Erling Haaland praise every week, I give Manchester City praise, and I think he's an amazing striker. But his general play is that of a League Two player.
"And I'm glad you are not agreeing with me, I don't expect people to agree with me. His general play, week in, week out is nowhere near good enough. As a goal scorer and a striker, the best – and I said that.
"His link-up play, the way he lays the ball off, sometimes the options he gives his teammates or the options he doesn't give them – as a striker and a goal scorer the best in the world, but his other play is that of a League Two player.
"The game against Arsenal was tough because they did well to contain the whole game, but in general, I don't think what I said was a big deal. He's a young player and he will improve, and I guarantee you that Pep Guardiola sits with his staff on everything and say that he needs to do more, specifically when he's not getting of chances or loads of goals."
And former Arsenal striker Ian Wright said Keane's critique of Haaland was "pretty on point", adding: "When you look at him scoring, he's clocking that level in respect of when the players around him have time, they can play it through to him and he goes on to score.
"When you watch Haaland in the game against Arsenal, they managed to shut down Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, so that's when you need Haaland to be more savvy. But we need to remember he's only 23, he's still learning the game, but you need to be more savvy in how you're going to make moves to get time on the ball, and what we're seeing is that he's not doing that currently."
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