Roy Keane has defended Marouane Fellaini by claiming that he is regularly made a "scapegoat" at Manchester United.
The midfielder has received mixed reviews since moving to Old Trafford with David Moyes from Everton in 2013.
The 28-year-old has attracted criticism for elbowing opponents numerous times on the pitch, but Keane believes that the Belgium international is an easy target for negativity.
"I like Fellaini," the Manchester Evening News quotes Keane as saying. "I thought the criticism he had when he went to United was a bit over the top. I think it was just because he came in at the last minute when David Moyes was there and fans were maybe quick to jump on his back.
"I saw him a few times live, when United weren't great, and thought he done okay. But he seemed to be the scapegoat for the fans. We saw him recently scoring some important goals. I like him. I liked him at Everton and I think he's a good player for Man United.
"The criticism he's had, I think he's more of a scapegoat than anything else. Which can happen when a new manager brings in certain players and the new signings get criticism. If anything, they should have been criticising the experienced players at United who weren't helping him out or who weren't helping out the new manager. But that's another story."
Keane's Republic of Ireland side will take on Belgium on Saturday in a Group E clash at Euro 2016.
