Way is now clear for Keane to come in from the cold

‘‘I HOPE some day I’ll play for Ireland again. However, it won’t be for McCarthy.’’

It doesn't have to be now. For, as one door slams shut, another creaks open and there, standing squarely in the frame will be Roy Keane. The big question is, will he walk through it.

On the face of it, the news that Mick McCarthy has left his job as Irish team boss means Keane has no choice to make. After all, the row which built up in Saipan during the summer became a personal dispute between two men one winner, one loser.

The hip injury rules him out of the friendly with Greece later this month, but anyway, as Keane himself has stated he doesn't do friendlies, which would theoretically mean he wouldn't appear in the clash with Scotland in February.

So, unless he can be persuaded to change his stance, the focus switches to the resumption of Ireland's European Championship qualifying campaign and that is a March double-header in Georgia and Albania, hardly the most enticing of destinations to spend a week away from his wife and four children.

The decision is not completely straightforward, even if friend and former junior coach Billy Cronin hopes he does return.

"It would be nice,'' said Cronin, current manager of the senior team at Rockmount, where Keane cut his footballing teeth.

''We all want to see Ireland qualify for the European Championships and Roy is our best player.

''I have read a few interviews with people like Damien Duff and Mattie Holland saying they hoped Roy would come back, so I don't think there would be any problems after what happened in Japan."

Cronin also suggested McCarthy had ridden out the summer storm over Keane's departure, only to find the public turning against him again when he made it known he would be willing to take on the Sunderland job following the dismissal of Peter Reid last month.

''I don't think that went down too well,'' he said. ''If the thing with Roy had been the major reason, he would have gone at the time or after the World Cup.''

Meantime, Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson has dismissed claims that Keane will not return to action for the Reds until the New Year.

The 31-year-old was originally expected to return for the Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen on November 13 but although those plans have been shelved, Ferguson has been quick to play down speculation Keane is out for the rest of the calendar year. He said: "It's not a setback as such, we're just making sure we do the right thing by him.

The former Republic of Ireland skipper will be signing copies of his book, which contained those comments, at Easons on Patrick Street in Cork tomorrow afternoon.