"I imagine he wasn't taken completely seriously?" – Gary Lineker hits out at Roy Keane for calling Erling Haaland a 'League Two player'

England great Gary Lineker has hit out at Roy Keane for labelling Manchester City striker Erling Haaland a 'League Two player' after a recent draw against Arsenal.

Manchester City, who have won five league titles in last six seasons, recorded a 0-0 Premier League draw against Arsenal this Sunday (March 31). Haaland failed to have any meaningful impact throughout the potential title-deciding game, touching the ball just 23 times.

After the end of the encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Keane likened Haaland to an EFL League Two attacker for his sub-par display against the Gunners. He told Sky Sports (h/t SPORTbible):

"In front of goal, he's the best in the world but his general play for such a player, it is so poor. Not just today. He has to improve that. He's almost like a League Two player, that's the way I look at him. His general play has to improve."

However, the Manchester United legend's recent remarks failed to sit correctly with Lineker. Speaking on BBC's Match of the Day, the ex-Barcelona striker opined:

"I know Roy's being Roy, but it was a tad much. It made me laugh. I imagine he wasn't taken completely seriously? It's an area of his game that will improve as you get older and learn a few tricks, buy yourself free-kicks backing into people."

Lineker, who won the 1986 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, continued:

"I used to do that a lot, but I didn't have his stature. It can be frustrating and at times it will bounce off you, you will lose it. Players [who] haven't played up front say he needs to hold it up, but you have no idea how difficult that is."

Erling Haaland opines on Premier League title race after recent Manchester City draw

After Manchester City's 0-0 draw against Mikel Arteta's side at the Etihad Stadium, Erling Haaland posted a positive message on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this Sunday. He wrote:

"We've done it once, we can do it again!"

Haaland, who joined City from Borussia Dortmund for an initial £51 million in 2022, helped his team win the treble last season. He has scored 29 goals in 35 matches across competitions for the Cityzens this term.

Pep Guardiola's side, on the other hand, are currently third in the league table with 64 points from 29 matches. Liverpool are atop with 67 points, while Arsenal are on 65 points from the same number of games.