Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-Min Son has strongly refuted Roy Keane’s relegation remarks about James Maddison, stating: “He’s wrong.”
Roy Keane’s comment on James Maddison before the United clash
Before Tottenham Hotspur’s clash against Manchester United on Sunday, Roy Keane singled out James Maddison and said: “People say, ‘Maddison’s the man’, but when is he going to step up to the plate?
“He got relegated with Leicester and [looks like he will] with Spurs. Maddison isn’t bad, but if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs top six, you’re in cuckoo land.”
The former Leicester City man responded by scoring the winner against the Red Devils and then celebrated with a finger to his lips, asking for his critics to “shush.”
The mockery did not stop there. The Englishman also took to TikTok to post a funny video, taking a further dig at Roy Keane.
Heung-min Son praises James Maddison for great response to Keane’s criticism
Club captain Heung-min Son has now revealed that he had a private conversation with Maddison following the harsh critique by Roy Keane and has also shared his views on Keane’s criticism.
Son said as relayed by the Express: “Everybody has an opinion but I don’t care what they say – for me, Madders is one of the best team-mates I’ve played with in my career.
“In big games, he steps up and scores goals, and that’s why we’ve missed him. Everyone has an opinion, but me and Madders had a chat about this because he’s always had a good personality and been able to move on – he’s shown people that it’s wrong.”
He continued: “He showed great character and put on a great performance (against United). Rather than listen to the outside noise, we just focus on ourselves and that is his answer.”
Maddison’s goal on Sunday was his first ever against Manchester United and it proved to be the decider in what was a closely contested affair.
James Maddison’s record in big games
The 28-year-old’s record in big games proves that Roy Keane’s assessment was rather harsh. Throughout his career, Maddison has recorded 23 goal involvement against the big six in the Premier League, and this season alone he has managed four goals and an assist against them.
Additionally, the midfielder’s overall goal involvement so far this campaign has been respectable. He has returned 10 ten goals and six assists in 32 appearances.
| Opponent | Goals | Assists | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| Liverpool | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| Manchester United | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| Arsenal | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Tottenham | 4 | 1 | 8 |