Keane slams Arsenal: Half their players will have gloves on soon

Roy Keane has suggested Arsenal’s form may tail off when the cold winter nights set in and slammed Theo Walcott for getting carried away with his goalscoring streak.

The Gunners defeated Basel 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday to continue an impressive start to the 2016-17 campaign, which has seen them lose just once in nine matches across all competitions.

But Arsenal’s old foe Keane, who regularly battled Arsene Wenger’s side during his time as Manchester United captain, is not convinced the positive run will last.

He told ITV: “You talk about certain players [playing well] – this was a lovely game for Arsenal.

“When they are in that form and have that possession, they are great to watch. They could have scored seven, eight, nine goals easily – a joy to watch – but the crunch games are coming up for them over the next few months, when the cold nights come in and we will see half the Arsenal players with their gloves on.”

Walcott, meanwhile, has scored five goals in seven matches at the start of the season and has said he feels like his game is at a “different level”, putting his fine form down to a new mental approach.

But Keane urged the England international to calm down, given he has been at Arsenal since 2006 and still has much to prove.

Keane added: “It has taken him a while to settle at the club, hasn’t it? Ten years?

“Listen, the guy [Walcott] needs to relax – he has had a good week. Try playing well for the next seven, eight, nine months when the real, big crunch games come.

“I wouldn’t get carried away about Walcott. He has got a lot to do. He’s got to keep doing it over the next year or two.”