Keane’s Euro glory mission
Keane was his usual forceful self on the pre-season trip to Scandinavia and Holland, showing no sign of anxiety over his summer World Cup row with Mick McCarthy.
But having missed out on the Champions League final three years ago, Keane has now also failed to make his mark on the planet’s most prestigious international tournament.
It makes it a racing certainty that on the eve of a new campaign, the burning desire driving Keane onto greatness remains undimmed.
On Saturday he is expected to lead United into their final warm-up encounter with top Argentinean outfit Boca Juniors, before heading to Budapest where the first leg tussle against Zala looks certain to be switched.
Defeat for the Red Devils is an unthinkable prospect against a side who needed a last-gasp Florian Urban penalty to send them through on away goals against NK Zagreb on Wednesday night.
Having splashed out £30million on Rio Ferdinand in the summer, for players and financiers alike, Keane accepts Manchester United must be in the Champions League.
‘‘You can say that again,’’ said Keane, speaking on MUTV before learning United’s third qualifying round opponents.
‘‘Boca Juniors will be a decent game on Saturday but the important stuff starts next week. There are no second chances and we need to produce the goods.’’
Keane has become increasingly more outspoken over the last couple of seasons, although nothing can compare with the outburst which saw him sent home from Ireland’s pre-World Cup training camp.
Last season, he wondered aloud whether some of his illustrious club colleagues had lost their desire and warned that none of them, himself included, was safe should Sir Alex Ferguson’s patience snap.
Fergie, though, only has words of admiration for his skipper, whom he dubs ‘the best player I have ever had’.
It is not so much the Irishman’s footballing skills as his formidably tough mental approach which the fiercely competitive Scot admires. Shrugging off the compliments, Keane has set his sights on erasing the memory of a campaign which gleaned nothing but frustration.
‘‘Last season still hurts,’’ he said. ‘‘Arsenal and Liverpool passed us by. They had that bit of hunger we lacked, which is why we didn’t win anything.
‘‘We had one or two problems in central defence and had eight or nine different partnerships over the course of the season, which is too much really.
‘‘That is why the manager has brought in Rio Ferdinand, although it is easy to be critical of one area. We attack and defend as a team, so you have to look at the whole unit rather than just one part.
‘‘The trip just gone has been a good opportunity for Rio to get to know the lads and some of the younger guys have been given a chance as well.”
After the injury scares of last weekend, it looks as though Ferguson will travel to Hungary with a full strength party.
Ferguson has angrily dismissed speculation that England skipper David Beckham must improve his fitness levels or be axed from his side.
However, the Scot is aware of the need to steer his England players into the season following their summer exertions and will be monitoring their performances closely on Saturday for any sign of tiredness, following their return to training just three weeks ago.
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