James Maddison sent a pointed message to Roy Keane after putting Tottenham ahead against Manchester United.

Red Devils legend Keane scoffed at the idea that Maddison's return could be key to propelling Spurs out of a miserable run of form in the lead-up to Sunday's showdown in north London.

"We saw Maddison at Tamworth," Keane told Ian Wright on The Overlap. "He was taken off. Tamworth are non-league. People say Maddison is the man. Maddison isn't bad when he's not at the darts, but let me tell you... if you think he is going to come back and get Spurs top-six, you're in cuckoo land."

The 28-year-old made his return against United after missing nearly a month with a calf strain. And he stuck it to Keane within a quarter of an hour, gobbling up a Lucas Bergvall shot which was parried into the danger zone by Andre Onana, and firing low into the net.

As if that was not sweet enough for the Tottenham man, he paused after wheeling away to point at a pitchside camera, make a 'talking' gesture with his hands, perform his trademark darts celebration and put a finger to his lips while looking straight down the lens.

Arsenal hero Wright stood up for Maddison after Keane's brazen rant, saying: "James, it's up to you. You've got to silence this, James, you're the only one who can do this! I'd be happy if he's playing."

Maddison is Tottenham's top scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals. Having notched four assists on top of that, he is the second most productive creator in Spurs' ranks behind Son Heung-min.

Manager Ange Postecoglou will be desperate for Maddison to keep proving Keane wrong in the weeks to come. Putting the mitigating circumstances to one side, the Aussie's second season in north London has been a major disappointment, and Tottenham are now scrambling for a top-half finish.

"The players are going through a tough time," Postecoglou explained after a win over Brentford earlier this month. "They care, it hurts them, especially our league position and the games we’ve lost.

"I see how much it hurts them. I’ve said it a few times, they are human beings and we’ve asked a lot of them, backing up Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, consistently and without a lot of rest."