Manchester United great Roy Keane aims dig at Joey Barton after Mary Earps comment

Roy Keane has taken a swipe at controversial former Premier League player Joey Barton in the aftermath of comments he made about Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps.

Earps was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2023 after an astonishing 12 months between the posts for club and country. The 30-year-old - who signed for United in 2019 - was a standout performer for the Lionesses in their so-nearly magical run to this year's World Cup final.

England Women were beaten by Spain in that showpiece, but Earps did everything she could to help the side win more silverware after their stunning Euro 2022 win last summer. Barton, though, namedropped the United stopper amid a series of misogynistic comments and social media posts made over the last few weeks.

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Barton, who started his career with Manchester City and made 153 appearances for the Blues before representing Newcastle, QPR and Marseille - as well as winning a solitary England cap - reckons that women should not be able to talk with any authority about the men's game.

In taking that stance, the 41-year-old has hit out at respected female players and journalists. Earps, too, has found herself in Barton's crosshairs following her SPOTY triumph.

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After initially congratulating Earps for her achievement, Barton went on to state United's goalkeeper had 'not won a sausage' and also called her 'a big sack of