"Taste of their own medicine" - Roy Keane takes cheeky England dig over Jamal Musiala's decision to represent Germany

Jamal Musiala played his first World Cup game for England today.
Jamal Musiala played his first World Cup game for England today.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has aimed a jibe at England over Jamal Musiala's decision to represent Germany at the professional level. The Irishman claimed that the Three Lions got a taste of their own medicine as the 19-year-old chose to snub them for Die Mannschaft.

It goes without saying that Jamal Musiala has grown to become one of the brightest prospects in world football over the last couple of months. He reached a new milestone in his career today after he made his World Cup debut for Germany in the 2-1 loss to Japan.

It comes as a huge blow for England as the attacking midfielder once represented them at the junior level before ditching them for Germany. Roy Keane believes it was a boomerang, reminding the Three Lions of how they 'stole' Declan Rice and Jack Grealish from the Republic of Ireland in similar fashion.

"The media ask you a question and you make a joke with them but obviously he’s (Jamal Musiala) a kid, he’s learning his trade. What a place to be learning, he’s playing regularly but it’s nice for England to get a taste of its own medicine," Keane told ITV (via football.london).
"They’ve taken players. Rice, Grealish - don’t get me started on that. When players make that decision it’s not easy and you have to respect that but wonderful talent, there’s still potential and we’re looking forward to seeing him," the Manchester United legend added.

Jamal Musiala's numbers for England and Germany's junior teams

Jamal Musiala in action for Germany during their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener versus Japan in Qatar.
Jamal Musiala in action for Germany during their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener versus Japan in Qatar.

Jamal Musiala represented England at the U15, U16, U17 and U21 levels, where he made a combined 23 appearances, recording 10 goals to his name. The attacking midfielder played two games for Germany's U16 team in 2018 before choosing to represent the senior national team last year.

At the club level, Musiala is doing wonders at Bayern Munich this season. He has an impressive 12 goals and 10 assists to his name in 22 matches across all competitions.

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Edited by Gautam Aggarwal