United ready to release Roy
While Keane stunned Old Trafford officials last night with the timing of the announcement that he expected this season to be his last at the club, it is not a development United's hierarchy were completely unprepared for.
During the summer, high level discussions took place over the likelihood of Keane's contract being extended beyond 2006.
A final decision will not be made without further consultation between chief executive David Gill and Alex Ferguson.
And with the Glazer family pledging not to take part in any negotiations, it appears the Irishman is correct in his assertion that no offer will be forthcoming until much later in the season.
Even before the latest twist, one senior United source confided that the possibility of Keane finishing his playing career away from Old Trafford was not one the club were totally against, in the belief they could eventually entice him back with a job on the coaching staff.
That position is still thought to exist and Keane's statement of intent is unlikely to prompt any immediate discussion with the player's trusted advisor Michael Kennedy, even though Ferguson's assistant Carlos Queiroz admits the player is irreplaceable.
"You don't replace great players like Pele, Maradona, Eusebio or Roy Keane," said Queiroz. "You just create new players in new teams. That is why the game moves forward."
Instead, it seems certain Keane will be free to open negotiations with any interested parties outside England in January, putting Celtic in pole position to land the influential midfielder, who has never made any secret of his desire to end his playing days at Parkhead.
Hoops boss Gordon Strachan refused to comment on the prospect of Keane moving into the Scottish Premier League, claiming: "I have never spoken about anybody else at any other club and I am not going to change that now."
However, sources hint Celtic have already indicated they would be interested in handing Keane a two-year deal next summer, when the player would be available for free on a Bosman transfer.
The only possible stumbling block is the cash on offer in Glasgow. Keane knows he cannot expect to pocket anywhere near the estimated €132,000-a-week he currently picks up at United.
The prospect of fulfilling a lifetime's ambition, as well as broadening his experience before he begins his managerial career may soften the blow and Keane also knows once he leaves United, there are few clubs in the Premiership who could match what Celtic could offer in terms of finance, support base and prestige.
There has also been interest from elsewhere in the Premiership even though he claimed he would not be able to stomach entering the away dressing room at Old Trafford.
A move abroad has not been completely ruled out either, although having previously spurned offers from Bayern Munich and Juventus earlier in his career, such a dramatic change of scenery is not expected as his playing days are drawing to a close.
It is also not beyond the realms of possibility that Keane could eventually be persuaded to stay on, although past experience suggests he is not a man noted for changing his mind and will not have made his position so clear without giving the matter plenty of thought.
"He has obviously been thinking a great deal about it and feels it is exactly the right decision," said Blackburn boss Mark Hughes, whose own departure from Old Trafford for Chelsea in 1995 led to a local newspaper poll calling for Ferguson to be sacked.
"I know Roy and he is very single-minded. When you make a decision that signals the end of your Manchester United career you do not do it readily. There is a great deal of thought behind it.
"Roy probably feels he wants to go in the direction of coaching and management. If anyone has shaped up to be a manager, Roy Keane is that man.
"There is a lot to it and Roy will discover that himself.
"But you should respect his decision because he has been a marvellous servant to Manchester United."
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