The six Manchester United players Roy Keane has praised this season

Praise from Roy Keane usually comes at a premium and especially when Manchester United have struggled to pass their objectives this season. Yet as they continue to battle for Champions League qualification, some United players have done enough to impress the Old Trafford icon.

Portugal sensation Bruno Fernandes and £80million captain Harry Maguire are among those to have been slammed (repeatedly) by Keane this term. However, there has been praise for six teammates.

In an endless list of infamous rants, criticism dished out towards the long-serving Spaniard in 2020 is right up there. Following a draw with Tottenham, the no-nonsense Irishman suggested he would be 'throwing punches' at De Gea, while the goalkeeper and Maguire would have to 'get a taxi back to Manchester' after the match if he was involved.

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Fast forward 18 months and, reluctantly, de Gea was subject to praise from Keane. After watching him make a save to deny Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Odoi, the former United captain said: "This is the one. Poor defending. Jimmy [Floyd Hasselbaink] thinks he probably should score, I'm going to give de Gea credit. I actually thought it was a good save, which is unlike me."

Going one step further in January at a game with Aston Villa, he added: "De Gea is back to his best and I'm happy to give him credit for that. David de Gea is allowed back on the bus..."

Having openly criticised the Brazilian earlier this season, Keane shared a U-turn on his verdict while highlighting his display against Leeds. It prompted a joke from the Irishman, too, as he suggested that it was namesake Robbie who had slammed the United midfielder.

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