Man Utd legend Roy Keane names his World Cup favourites and rules out huge team

Manchester United great Roy Keane has ruled out Portugal’s chances of lifting the World Cup and named France as his favourites to come out on top.

France fell at the final hurdle four years ago, as Argentina and Lionel Messi triumphed on penalties after an all-time classic final in Qatar.

It should come as no surprise that Les Blues enter this summer’s spectacle as one of the red-hot favourites again, with Didier Deschamps’ boasting some of finest attacking talent on the planet, including Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.

Looking to hoist the trophy aloft for a third time in their history, the 2022 runners-up kick off their Group I campaign against Senegal at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium next Tuesday night.

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While France will be confident of securing their progression to the knockout phrase, with contests versus Iraq and Norway to follow, recent group-stage exits in 2002 and 2010 should serve as a stark reminder of how World Cup dreams can quickly turn into nightmares.

For Keane, though, Deschamps is the ideal manager to ensure France’s star-studded squad remain on the ‘same page’ and avoid the kind of infighting and implosions which seen previous campaigns go up in smoke.

‘I’m going to rule out Portugal. I just think at the back… yeah, I am [going to rule them out],’ the former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain said on Sky Bet’s Micah & Roy’s Road To America series.

‘Over the last few days, I’ve been open-minded to Brazil and Spain.

‘But I think France have come into my head [as the potential winners].

‘Obviously the manager has got to get them all on the same page and I think he’s pretty good at it. I think he’s one of the best at it.’

Though pessimistic regarding their overall chances, Keane picked out Norway as a team to look out for in North America.

He added: ‘Do you know who I’m interested to see? No one has really mentioned them and I’m not talking about winning it, but maybe having an impact… Norway.

‘[Erling] Haaland, [Martin] Odegaard, all these boys. Do you know what I mean?’

In a wide-ranging interview with Le Figaro, Arsene Wenger went down a similar route to Keane when asked to reveal his personal favourite for this summer’s eagerly anticipated tournament.

‘I put France above the others. They have so much talent and Deschamps has experience,’ the ex-Arsenal manager said.

‘We have so many attacking players that the danger is being a little unbalanced offensively.

‘But today, the modern player, even an attacking one, knows how to do his share of the defensive work.

‘When you’re 0-0 against France with 20 minutes to go, you lose the match. Power makes the difference.’

Thierry Henry has also backed his fellow countrymen for success, telling Sports Illustrated: ‘I see France as the top contender – partly because I’m French, but also because we’ve reached the last two finals.

‘We have a strong team. Spain, Argentina, Portugal, and England are also promising candidates. Surprises like Norway or Senegal are possible.

‘As for Germany, I’m waiting for them to rediscover their best form.

‘Germany has qualified, and that’s the most important thing. Sometimes you can even play better with less pressure. In any case, I wish Julian Nagelsmann and his team all the best – unless they play against France. ‘

Asked to name France’s best strength, Henry replied: ‘On the bench.

‘It sounds simple, but squad depth is crucial. If your substitutes are on par with the starting eleven, it’s a huge advantage, especially in such a long tournament after an intense season.’

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