Manchester United legend Roy Keane heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday night.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, started a competitive international fixture for the first time since 2017 when Gareth Southgate named him in his starting line-up amid an impressive run of form for the European champions.
Ex-United midfielder Keane has been thoroughly impressed by the way Oxlade-Chamberlain has started to return to form following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
“In the few games he’s been involved in recently, he does look sharp,” Keane said on ITV on Thursday [07:20pm].
“I know he’s not properly up to speed but he’s had a tough time. I like the look of him.
“You’ve got a midfielder who’s a goal threat and can put the ball in the back of the net, it’s a huge plus.”
Keane added: “It’s nice to see him back because he’s had a difficult time.
“He’s certainly a talented boy.”
OPINION
Oxlade-Chamberlain deserves a lot of credit for the way he has performed for Liverpool this season. Even though he is not really starting in the big matches, when he does start, he really does make the most of it. The ex-Southampton midfielder has scored four goals in his 14 appearances across all competitions this term but has only started twice in the Premier League. Liverpool’s impressive Champions League form has been helped by the former Arsenal attacker and maybe he does deserve to be starting more in the league. Mohamed Salah has picked up an injury and that could open up a spot for Oxlade-Chamberlain in Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up if the Reds boss sees him as a good replacement on the right-side of the front-three. Oxlade-Chamberlain has played a lot as a central midfielder since moving to Liverpool but he still has the abilities to be able to replace Salah in that role if the Egyptian is hit with a spell on the sidelines.
