Yes or no — we’re Keane to know
Ferguson was quoted as saying he would advise Keane to quit international football, the sooner the better, to
extend his career at club level.
Good luck to Ferguson he is entitled to his opinion. And if you, as an employer, are paying the equivalent of a king's ransom to your employee then you have reason to exercise a little selfishness in your attitude.
Yet his attitude still puzzles for this reason we were led to believe at one point that Keane would come back as assistant to Bryan Robson if the former Manchester United and England skipper was made Ireland's team manager.
That was diluted somewhat in the days immediately before the appointment of Brian Kerr, but still the belief was that Keane would come back as a player under Robson and would play a big role as advisor on match tactics and on team preparations.
Robson did nothing to suggest these stories were exaggerated. In fact there are solid grounds for believing the FAI interview board were left with the impression that Robson would deliver Keane if he secured the appointment.
So why the intervention now by Ferguson ? Why go public with an opinion he must have known would not sit comfortably with Ireland's fans ?
It could be, of course, that Ferguson has already discussed this with Keane. And that his action was motivated by a desire to take some of the pressure off his team captain.
A negative response now to Kerr's invitation would be viewed not as an individual preference but as a consensus.
It is nothing new, of course, for players to step down from international football to concentrate on their club
careers. Alan Shearer with Newcastle and Dennis Bergkamp with Arsenal are just two who followed this route in recent times.
Bergkamp's decision was influenced also by his lack of enthusiasm for flying. He stepped down after the European Championship of 2000 because he would not be travelling to Japan and Korea even if Netherlands qualified.
There are those who will concede that Ferguson has a point. At 31 years of age Keane is no longer in the first flush of youth and he has had his share of serious injuries. The club programme is a very demanding one.
Yet a commitment to play for Ireland would involve Keane in no more than 10 matches over two seasons. Ireland will play six competitive matches over an eight months period this year.
He has stated he is not interested in playing friendly internationals.
And it goes without saying that if Ireland are eliminated from the current European Championship, or if they clinch qualification before the programme is completed, then Keane would be excused.
The biggest regret if he follows his manager's advice is that Kerr would be denied the opportunity of putting
Ireland's best team on the pitch.
He is starting his career as Ireland's manager from a low enough point as it stands with Ireland pointless after two matches in the European Championship.
Kerr has already given Ireland magnificent service as manager of the under-age teams since 1996 and as technical director, a job that will be filled by Packie Bonner this week.
A worst case scenario is that Keane will opt out and Kerr will be subjected to a newspaper campaign urging him to beat a path to Old Trafford again and again, whenever Ireland play.
Kerr has a big enough monkey on his back as he sets out on his international career with early elimination from the European Championship a very real possibility.
The last thing he needs is to be told repeatedly how much he needs his best player.
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