Richard Keys and Andy Gray now issue ‘horrific’ verdict on £70k-a-week Everton flop
Everton are not playing today, but one of their players has been in the headlines for his work in a different Premier League game.
And whilst Neal Maupay has given an interview speaking about his issues with Evertonians, Mason Holgate would steal the limelight with a nasty challenge in Sheffield United’s 5-0 loss at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Englishman was rightly dismissed after just 13 minutes, after a VAR check upgraded his initial yellow, and his side ultimately fell to a heavy defeat.
Unsurprisingly, many have rushed to lambast his actions, in which Kaoru Mitoma was on the receiving end of the hefty altercation.
And the first to air their grievances were Richard Keys and Andy Gray…
What Richard Keys and Andy Gray said about Mason Holgate
Speaking on beIN Sports, the two fumed over a tackle they described as ‘horrific’ and ‘ridiculous’.
Gray, who enjoyed two successful years at Goodison Park, was the first to kickstart the rant: ‘I don’t know what he’s thinking about. It’s the most ridiculous… It’s just ridiculous.’
Keys would reinforce the notion: ‘Horrible challenge. What bothers me is that Stuart Atwell is 15 yards from it and didn’t see it. How did he not see it, Andy, the referee? He shouldn’t need technology to get a red card out for that.’
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This was a point they both agreed on, as the Scotsman claimed: ‘I’m not one for defending officials, right, but the only thing I might say is that he might have been looking at Holgate’s back and therefore he didn’t quite see the severity of the tackle, that’s all I’m saying. But, the thing is, that was horrific. It was horrific. That could have been nasty for Mitoma.’
Keys ended their angry exchange with a jibe, stating: ‘I would’ve put him in his car and sent him back to Everton if I was Chris [Wilder], honestly.’
Everton’s double agent for the relegation battle
On Merseyside, it was widely known that Holgate was not at the requisite level for relegation-threatened Everton, with Gray having also stated that ‘he’s always had that in his locker’ during the rant.
So, when he was recalled in January and shipped back out on loan to Sheffield United, there was a quiet expectation that the 27-year-old would hardly aid their rivals in escaping the drop.
Already that premonition has come true, with the former Barnsley man having shipped five goals in his first game for the Blades, and having now been dismissed for what was truly a diabolical challenge.
His penchant for such a reckless moment was another well-documented and widely condemned area of the £70k-a-week defender’s game, which fans will likely be happy is hampering Sheffield United rather than Dyche’s side.
Unsurprisingly, after such a torrid start to life at Bramall Lane, it is no surprise that fans are starting to suggest that the loan move has worked in a double-agent format.
Sheffield United v Brighton & Hove Albion – Premier League
Well, with the rock-bottom side having now fallen to yet another heavy defeat, with Holgate at the forefront, it seems difficult to argue with such a suggestion.
