Keane: I don’t want Dickson in dock

SUNDERLAND boss Roy Keane has ordered midfielder Dickson Etuhu to clean up his act after picking up five bookings in the space of eight games.

The 25-year-old will sit out tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Blackburn at the Stadium of Light after landing an automatic one-match ban following his caution in the 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough last week.

Previous bookings against Birmingham, Wigan, Liverpool and Luton left him walking a disciplinary tightrope, and after managing to get through fixtures against Manchester United and Reading unscathed, an untidy challenge on Luke Young confirmed his inevitable suspension.

Keane was no stranger to a rugged tackle or a yellow card during his illustrious playing days, but he has warned his £1.5m signing that he must learn quickly if he is to avoid a catalogue of cautions this season.

He said: “If you play in the middle of the park, clearly you are going to pick up bookings, you are going to be suspended, but I did not think he would be suspended so early in the season after seven games.

“That’s disappointing and Dickson will have to learn from that because he is suspended.

“He has been suffering with a groin injury anyway so he might have been touch and go for the weekend, but he has got to learn fast because before you know it, he will be picking up another five.

“I’m not sure how he got the five bookings, but if they are for tackles, that’s fair enough; but if they are for pulling tops ... and I think one or two of his bookings have been not exactly in dangerous areas.

“Sometimes there is a good booking, but he has probably picked up one or two bad ones.

“I do believe, especially around the middle of the park and especially in the Premier League, they tend to be a little bit wiser.”