Roy Keane has described Serge Aurier as a ‘car crash’ footballer for Tottenham because of the right-back’s tendency to switch off defensively.
Aurier, much like the rest of the Spurs side, has had an up and down season so far.
The Ivorian started the season in good form and seemed to have seen off competition from summer signing Matt Doherty to remain as the club’s first-choice right-back.
However, inconsistency started to creep into his game around the turn of the year and he has since been in and out of the side.
The 28-year-old returned to the starting eleven against Manchester United on Sunday and while he did defend well against Paul Pogba in the first half and made some good forays forward, he failed to pick up Edinson Cavani’s far post run for United’s crucial second goal.
Reports indicate that this is likely to be Aurier’s last season at Tottenham, with the club planning to cash in on him this summer.
That is a move that Keane would certainly endorse since the former Red Devils captain insisted that the North Londoners could never count on the former Paris Saint-Germain defender at the back.
He told Super Sunday on Sky Sports (as relayed by HITC): “If you want to go anywhere as a football club, a good team, or you want to have a settled back four.
“He’s (Aurier) got a rick in him. He has caused loads of problems. I have described him as a bit of a car crash.
“Nice powerful boy, keeps going forward, but defensively I think he doesn’t smell danger or see the danger.
“And that’s been a huge problem for Spurs, the right-back position.”
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Funnily enough, I actually think Aurier is better defensively than he is going forward. While he is decent on the ball, his crossing is pretty inconsistent and his decision making sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. However, he is a very competent one vs one defender who is capable of marking top players out of the game. The only issue with him defensively is that he tends to lose concentration on occasions as he did for United’s second goal which means that he could always be a liability even if he is having a good game.
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