Roy Keane has shared who he thinks England will get knocked out by at the World Cup, after the Three Lions progressed to the last 16, reports BritPanorama.
England came from behind thanks to a brace from Harry Kane to beat DR Congo 2-1 and set up a clash with co-hosts Mexico.
The contest, which will be played at the Azteca Stadium in the early hours of Monday morning, poses its challenges, with Mexico only ever losing to England twice. However, Keane believes the Three Lions will have enough to get past the co-hosts, but will come unstuck after that.
“When we watched England against DR Congo, truthfully, we knew they were going to win,” he said on the Stick to Football podcast. “When you’ve got players like Harry Kane who will get you out of trouble, then you always have that chance. I think they beat Mexico on Monday, but if they get through to the likes of Brazil and Argentina, that’s when the trouble will really start. If they play like they have done, it’s against those teams where they’ll come unstuck.”
Keane expressed concerns about the team’s overall depth, stating, “I don’t think England have got too much more to go, which is why I’m saying they’ll get to the quarters. The couple of individuals that are world-class have kicked in, but they can only get you so far as well. I don’t think England have many more gears they can go, whereas France has got another 20.”
He pointed out Jordan Pickford as a concern for the Three Lions, having failed to save DR Congo’s early strike, which caught him out at his near post. “There is also a worry for me about the goalkeeper,” he stated. “If he’s got anything about himself, he’d be saying that he should have saved that. And I’m not one of these that say a goalkeeper shouldn’t be getting beaten at his near post, because that can happen, but if you get a good hand to it, I think he’ll be disappointed.”
The former Manchester United midfielder also commented on Kane’s record-breaking performance, joking about the brilliance of the striker, who overtook Pele in goals at World Cups last night, with 13. “People going: ‘I can’t believe he’s scored again’ – he does it all the time. We were watching it together, and I was sitting there going, ‘Of course he’s going to score. That’s what he does.’
England will play their last 16 contest on Monday morning at 1am, with pubs allowed to stay open till 5am for the match.
As anticipation builds for the knockout stage, the real test for England might not just be overcoming the hosts, but facing the giants that await further down the line. The narrative of potential glory looms, yet history warns us that tournaments are often unforgiving to those who dare to dream.
