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Conor Bradley kept Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr quiet as Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, but even that wasn't enough to draw praise from Roy Keane.
Speaking on the same podcast as the one that saw him question the "class" of Liverpool fans for jeering Trent Alexander-Arnold, Keane suggested that Bradley is not good enough going forward in a bizarre critique of the Northern Ireland captain's showing at Anfield.
Bradley won two-thirds of the duels that he competed for and stood up strong against Vinicius, a year on from dominating Kylian Mbappe in the same fixture last season, drawing widespread praise.
"That’s why you want to see him up against a winger like that, because that then takes him to another place," Ian Wright said on the Stick To Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. "He did everything last night. He was fantastic to watch."
"Yeah, defensively," Keane replied. "But he lacks that, picking out that final pass. He got into good positions last night. You’re still looking for that."
"He did the main job, what he needed to do last night," Wright responded. "To stop him. You know what I mean?"
But that wasn’t enough for Keane, who added: "We sit here every week talking about the modern football back. It’s not just about defending.
"Now, you sit here every week saying, Trent’s amazing. What’s Trent’s strength? No, I’m just on about in general. What’s Trent’s strength?"
The Arsenal legend hit back by saying: "I'm talking about with Trent. We just talked about Trent’s going forward. We’re talking about last night and Conor Bradley’s defense."
Keane's criticism of Liverpool supporters also raised eyebrows. Fans remain unhappy with Alexander-Arnold for his exit and the former number 66 was always going to be jeered on his return.
"I wasn't surprised, and I don't think Trent would have been surprised if I'm being totally honest," Jamie Carragher explained on CBS Sports earlier in the week. "There is obviously a lot of strong feeling in the city around him moving.
"I was a local boy playing for Liverpool and living in Liverpool, and in the city, we live and breathe football every single day. Even though I'm not a player anymore, all we talk about is Liverpool.
"So when one of your own moves on and makes a decision that 99 per cent of the supporters think 'I wouldn't do that', a local player for Liverpool has to embody those supporters.
"I know what Trent is going through and the difficulties that you can have. But leaving Liverpool isn't easy.
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"The one thing I would say about the reaction, he has always stated that, 'I'm just a supporter on the pitch.' He wanted to be captain and be a Liverpool legend.
"Liverpool won the league title last season and could win the Champions League this season. Why don't you want more of that?
"And there is also another element where Liverpool supporters felt let down. I wouldn't say he divides opinion because he is a fantastic talent, and that is why Real Madrid wanted him. That is why he has won so much.
"But he does get a fair share of criticism. Liverpool supporters feel they have gone out to bat for Trent. Liverpool supporters have been fighting his corner constantly. That is why the reaction is what it is."
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