Roy Keane is a hard man to impress, but one Tottenham player left the Man United legend with plenty of kind words at the World Cup.
It is all kicking off at the World Cup this summer, and Tottenham Hotspur players have been right in the thick of the action.
The last 16 stage of the tournament has only just ended, and Spurs’ representation stands at four, with Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Marcos Senesi and Cristian Romero all still vying for football’s most coveted prize.
The last 16 was not short of drama, with Tottenham players just as involved. Spence was part of a frantic game as ten-man England had to hold their own against host nation Mexico.
Porro, on the other hand, remains one of the tournament’s highest-rated players, with Spain yet to concede a goal after knocking out Portugal in the last round.
Tottenham’s Cristian Romero earns praise from Roy Keane
Romero was also right in the thick of the action as Argentina took on Egypt. The World Champions found themselves two goals down heading into the final 15 minutes but managed to claw their way back from the brink.
The Spurs centre-back played a key role, helping to score the first of three as Lionel Scaloni’s men turned the tie on its head and booked a place in the last eight.
Romero’s display against Egypt has now led to praise from Roy Keane, who was joined by Gary Neville in the ITV studio. Keane focused on Romero’s attacking instincts and movement, comparing him to a striker in the way he found space and timed his run.
“It’s his movement,” Keane said on ITV. “It’s obviously a brilliant delivery. His movement is like a striker, he just peels off the back of the defender.
“Yes, it’s poor defending, they’re trying to hold a high line. But his movement and his timing is like a top-class striker. Absolutely fantastic. We go back to that desire to try and get back in the game.”
Neville highlights Romero’s relentless mentality
Keane, as we know, is a Tottenham fan and has not held back in showing his love for the club, even doing so recently by singing the famous Chas & Dave song. Neville, however, offered his own take in the studio, focusing on Romero and Lisandro Martinez as a pair for Argentina.
He emphasised their chaotic but effective style, pointing out how their personalities drive them to keep fighting regardless of defensive lapses.
“You watch [Cristian] Romero and [Lisandro] Martinez, and they’re the best ‘worst centre-halves’ in the world,” Neville remarked during ITV’s post-match coverage.
“You watch them, they give goals away constantly. But they don’t care about giving goals away because they’ll score goals at the other end. They have massive personalities and they keep going.
“Look, at that point in the game, you think Argentina are hanging on for dear life. They’re fighting for their lives and Romero is part of that comeback, you know what I mean? Why is he there?
“You always ask the questions: ‘why is Martinez scoring in the last game? Why is Romero scoring there?’ Because they don’t give in and they fight, and they fight, and they fight.”