Boost for United as Keane set to play in his sixth Cup final

MANCHESTER UNITED have received an FA Cup final boost after captain Roy Keane came through a training session at the club’s Carrington training ground yesterday.

The United skipper had been a major doubt for Saturday’s Millennium Stadium showdown with Division One club Millwall after struggling to shake off a long-standing hamstring problem.

But he is almost certain to play in his sixth FA Cup final this weekend, setting a new post-war record. Keane will become only the second player in history to reach the landmark, but is highly unlikely to overtake the man ahead of him, Lord Arthur Kinnaird, who appeared in nine of the first eleven FA Cup Finals, representing Wanderers and Old Etonians.

Millwall’s player-manager Dennis Wise is in Italy receiving treatment on a muscle injury but the 37-year-old is being given right up until kick-off time in order to prove his fitness for Cardiff.

“Dennis for us will be like Roy Keane for Manchester United,” said assistant manager Ray Wilkins. “If Roy doesn’t play for Man U, that is the sort of loss that we will miss if Dennis doesn’t play but, if he doesn’t play, we will have young men who will play and come in and do a very good job for us. We’ll give it until five to three, we’ll even give it until five past three and we’ll see how the young bounder goes.

“He will be back on Thursday to join up with the squad in Cardiff. He’s having deep massage in Italy, where they specialise in sports injury doctors and masseurs who are with the clubs for many years and are extremely qualified in dealing with these injuries.”