Roy Keane has launched an extraordinary attack on David De Gea, saying he wanted to punch the Manchester United goalkeeper for his first-half performance against Tottenham on Friday.

Keane did not hold back when assessing United’s performance in the opening 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with De Gea bearing the brunt of his ire.

The former United skipper felt De Gea should have done much better for Steven Bergwijn’s opener, with defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw also coming in for stinging criticism for their failure to stop the Netherlands forward’s darting run into the penalty area.

“I’m shocked at that goal,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve watched a lot of football over the years, but to give away that goal, I’m fuming here watching this game of football.

“I am sick to death of this goalkeeper. I would be fighting him at half time. There’s no getting away from it, I would be swinging punches. It’s a standard save for an established international goalkeeper. I am flabbergasted.

“I can’t believe Shaw is heading the ball up in the air and running forward. I’m staggered at Maguire, that an international player, you can’t get done like this.

« If I were Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer, I would] make some stages, get some lads off the pitch. Players are going through the motions a little bit. Not that United have been bad, but you’ve got to flex your muscles and impose your personality on the game.

« Spurs have done OK, they have been compact, but United?

“Maguire and De Gea, I wouldn’t even let them on the bus after the match. Let them get a taxi back up to Manchester.

“These are international players, we can analyse the game until to the cows come home. You do your job, we’re trying to get onto the top four, God forbid about winning trophies.

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“I’m disgusted. Maguire, De Dea, hang your heads in shame. You’re playing for Manchester United and you’re letting players run past you? Get close to people, move your feet. 

« De Gea. The most over-rated goalkeeper I’ve seen in a long, long time.”

The goalkeeper has played 32 matches for Manchester United, including 29 in the Premier League.