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Former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has slammed his former teammate Martin Keown for conceding an apology to Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy. This comes over 20 years after their epic spat in the Premier League.
The infamous episode between the Gunners and the Red Devils took place in 2003 at Old Trafford, where the match ended without goals. However, it erupted into chaos when the Dutch striker missed an important penalty. Keown leaped at Van Nistelrooy after the miss, triggering a brawl that saw players of both teams heavily involved.
Van Nistelrooy's penalty miss was important to Arsenal during their unbeaten, title-winning campaign under Arsene Wenger. But when Keown and Van Nistelrooy renewed their acquaintances this year, the former defensive stalwart decided to apologize. During a TNT Sports broadcast earlier in the year, Keown told the former Manchester United striker (via SPORTbible):
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"Apologies for all of the shenanigans that went on back in the day.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy responded:
“What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. I am happy that I have him in front of me, not at the back of me, you know. It was a good rivalry, wasn’t it? I would like to block you out as well, and then fall over."
Ljungberg, witnessing the exchange, made it clear he wouldn't have agreed with apologizing to the Manchester United legend, telling Keown afterwards:
"I've seen some of your interviews afterwards and you apologise. I would have never apologised for what happened. When you did that, by the way, I felt - I never said this on TV - but that we stood up for ourselves.
A lot of people in the media were like: 'We were weak, we could get bullied, we were this, we were that, we’re not strong enough.' And that day, even if it didn't look good, I felt inside that yes, that team, we don't get bullied. And that's what everyone in England said: 'Just kick them and they will fall.' So no."
Keown went on to explain that he was "being the bigger man." However, that did not particularly change his former Arsenal teammate's mind.
Arsenal, Manchester United, others told to pay £86m for striker
RB Leipzig have now set the pricing for Benjamin Sesko at £86 million, throwing uncertainty on an easy summer move for the striker who has been in great demand. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United were all anticipating that this Slovenian forward could go for £60 million, but now, the price tag has been updated.
Sesko has been one of the few bright sparks this season, netting 20 goals across all competitions. Arsenal are thought to be most interested in the player while looking to reshape their frontline under Mikel Arteta (via Metro). With central midfielder Mikel Merino playing up front, the Gunners desperately want a more natural striker.
Chelsea and Manchester United will still be active in his case, but may falter at Leipzig's new price tag. Particularly because of uncertainty regarding their transfer budget, the Red Devils might consider cheaper alternatives instead.
