“When he’s not playing well, wow…” – Roy Keane shares surprising criticism of Scotland World Cup star
Roy Keane has shared his thoughts on one of the key players in Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad, and it’s a bit harsher than you might expect given the player’s reputation.
Keane’s own World Cup record isn’t perfect, but he knows a lot about midfielders and can spot a good one when he sees it. Scotland will face Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil in Group C—28 years after last meeting Morocco and Brazil in their previous World Cup.
Coach Clarke can count on experienced leaders playing at the top club level. Captain Andy Robertson has won several trophies with Liverpool, where he just finished his final season. Scott McTominay was the star player for Napoli when they won Serie A in 2024-25, after leaving Manchester United.
John McGinn, who moved from Hibernian to Aston Villa in 2018, has been key to their rise—helping them win the Europa League in Istanbul last month after climbing through the Championship playoffs.
In the latest episode of Stick to Football, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher praised Villa boss Unai Emery’s use of McGinn. Playing mainly on the right side in Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system, McGinn has been outstanding since returning from injury. Villa’s results suffered when he was out, but Keane’s sharp comment about McGinn focused on the player’s low lows.
“John’s brilliant, but when he’s bad, he looks like a pub player,” said Keane. “No, when he’s off, he looks really poor.”
It’s been a while since McGinn has had such bad games. Villa won a European trophy and finished fourth in the Premier League, with McGinn being key and consistent throughout.
“I don’t see him having many bad games,” said former England striker Ian Wright.
Keane replied honestly, “No, but when he is bad… wow.”
“You’d definitely want him in your team, no doubt. It’s no surprise Villa are doing well with him leading the way.”
Joined as usual by Gary Neville, the ex-Premier League stars also talked about Scotland’s chances of getting past the group stage for the first time in nine tries.
Keane was doubtful, saying this is their best chance, but they face a tough challenge because of a lack of top-level talent and difficult conditions.
Wright agreed, noting that Clarke had to call up three goalkeepers who barely played last season, including the oldest player at World Cup 2026.
Craig Gordon, 43, only played three games for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. Angus Gunn had just 45 Premier League minutes for Nottingham Forest, and Liam Murphy from Rangers didn’t play at all.
Scotland’s World Cup journey starts against Haiti on Saturday.