Keane can’t sit still for long

THE news that Robbie Keane is on the verge of confirming a return to the Premier League with Aston Villa comes as almost as big a surprise as his decision last August to relocate to the other side of the Atlantic.

But whereas the Irish skipper’s move to LA Galaxy raised eyebrows, the prospect of him joining his Irish team mates Richard Dunne and Shay Given at Villa Park, even if only on a two-month loan deal, should be universally well-received.

Criticised by many at the time for supposedly turning his back on the more serious football challenges, the move to LA Galaxy has not only brought him the bonus of a rare medal but also rejuvenated him as a player after so long in limbo at Spurs. The proof of that was evident not only in the MLS but, of much greater significance in these parts, in the thoroughly upbeat way he concluded Ireland’s successful European Championship campaign, reserving one of his most influential performances in a record-breaking phase, for what turned out to be the decisive first leg of the play-off tie against Estonia.