Keane: I want us to play like United and Arsenal
Republic of Ireland U-21 striker Stokes (18), marked his debut — following a £2m move from Arsenal — by setting up fellow countryman David Connolly for the only goal of Saturday’s gale-affected game against Ipswich at the Stadium of Light.
But Northern Ireland defender Evans, on loan from Manchester United and making his home bow, also played a pivotal role. Both Stokes and Evans, who is a year older, performed goalmouth clearances to preserve Sunderland’s lead.
But Keane, who also handed a home debut to £1.5m winger Carlos Edwards, stressed: “Just because we have Jonny and Stokesy here, we shouldn’t expect those lads to get us back in the Premiership. It’s up to everybody to get us promoted.
“The danger is, when you get one or two lads coming in, other players maybe step back and say, ‘Go ahead, you do it’. But that doesn’t work. You can’t expect two young players to come in and do it by themselves. I thought Anthony did very well. He’s only been here a few days, there’s been a lot of hype and he’s just young.” United manager Alex Ferguson did his old captain Keane a favour by allowing Evans, who had been on loan with Belgian club Antwerp this season, to join the Black Cats.
But Ferguson first made sure he tied him to a new four-and-a-half-year deal. Keane said: “I wouldn’t have thought there was any chance of getting Jonny permanently — no chance. I think Alex Ferguson is sensible enough to know this is a great opportunity for Jonny.
“When players go on loan, especially abroad, you’re not sure of the exact standard they’re playing at and it’s hard to keep an eye on them. But United can keep a close eye on him here and he’s come to a club where the expectations are very high, like United.
“It’s a great challenge for Jonny. I knew him when I was at United. I always had an interest in the young lads there, especially the Irish lads. He’s just young, but he’s shown great maturity. He’s a good centre-half and he reads the game well. He’s quick, he’s determined and he comes from a good stock.
“I knew there were one or two other clubs interested in him. We knew Alex Ferguson wouldn’t let him come until he had signed a new contract, which he did a couple of weeks ago, because his contract was up in the summer.
“You just have to be patient, which is not one of my stronger points. You have to be patient with players, like Anthony and Carlos. You try to make a deal work, but sometimes the biggest plus is to step back and not get too bogged down with phone calls and agents. But I was always quite confident Jonny would come. The manager at United knows Sunderland is a top club.”
Evans admitted Keane was his boyhood idol. “Roy Keane was my favourite player when I was a kid. I always remember watching them when they won the treble and the Juventus game when he scored the header that brought them back into it. Then he got the booking that he knew would keep him out of the final, but he kept going. I think that was a good example to everyone and it inspired me.”
Evans explained the background to his move, and recalled his early encounters with Keane. “He rang my parents because I was in Belgium at the time, and I think my dad was more excited than me! The first time I spoke to Roy Keane at United, we were both injured and we were warming up on the bikes in the gym. He introduced himself and said, ‘Hi, I’m Roy’, and I said, ‘I know.’ When you first speak to a senior player, especially in the case of Roy Keane, you feel you should speak when you’re spoken to.
“I had a few training sessions with him and I remember him telling me off for giving the ball away.”
Keane is setting high standards: he wants his side to play like United and Arsenal. “You watch United and Arsenal, and they play brilliantly. Some teams in the Championship won’t let you play. There’s nothing wrong with putting the ball in the stand, but ultimately I want us to pass it. Maybe it didn’t work this time, with the wind and Ipswich making it hard for us.”
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