Irish boss keeping faith in Keane

THE irony of Ireland’s record goalscorer being left wondering if anyone wants him at club level was never more starkly illuminated than yesterday when his international understudy was hogging the headlines.

West Brom hardly bought Shane Long for over €7 million with a view to using him as an impact sub yet the bench remains the rising star’s most likely launch pad when it comes to international duty.

By contrast, Robbie Keane might not be the most wanted man in the Premiership but can rest assured that there will continue to be a welcome on the mat for him from Giovanni Trapattoni, with the manager confirming yesterday that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Keane will start for Ireland in the crunch European qualifiers against Slovakia and Russia next month.

“Remember, in important games we need important players and Robbie is very important for us,” said Trapattoni. “The international shirt is very heavy, it’s not a simple shirt, it carries responsibility. And Robbie is not only a famous player but one of those who inspires respect among opponents. I have been on the pitch, I know, and when you see that you are coming up against a famous player, that in itself can be intimidating.”

More to the point, Keane’s strong finish to the international season before the summer break — which saw him crash the 50-goal barrier by scoring twice against Macedonia and once against Scotland — was more than enough to convince Trapattoni that, regardless of his club limbo, the Irish skipper can still do the business for his country.

“For the second year he is in the same situation and I have spoken with him about this,” said Trapattoni.

“It’s important that he plays against Croatia on Wednesday so he experiences that match tempo and rhythm. Maybe he can play 45 minutes or one hour and then I can change. All four strikers — Robbie, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long and Simon Cox — will play. It’s important too that we get a chance to see that Kevin has recovered, not just physically but psychologically, from his injury against Macedonia. It is important he is fit in the head and not just in the knee.”

On the face of it, Ireland are down to the bare bones in central midfield for tomorrow night’s game, with Sunday’s injury blow for James McCarthy leaving only Glenn Whelan and Darron Gibson as the logical starters there. However, Trapattoni revealed that he is happy with a couple of somewhat novel cover options, either by moving Stephen Ward into the middle of the park or, alternatively, asking Andy Keogh to reprise his role from the friendly against Italy in Liege by bolstering what would become, in effect, a five-man midfield.

Trapattoni also admitted to disappointment at Darron Gibson’s failure to complete a move to Sunderland.

“It’s a pity because if the goes to another club he can play every game,” he said. “Because Gibson is not just about potential, he has real quality. But his manager can decide. Maybe the club didn’t want to let him go.”

But Trapattoni welcomed news of another player who is following in Gibson’s footsteps by swapping Northern Ireland for the Republic.

James McLean, who was set to complete his move from Derry City to Sunderland yesterday, pulled out of Nigel Worthington’s squad at the weekend and announced he was declaring for the Republic.

“It is important for young players to clarify what they want,” said Trapattoni, who added that a close eye would now be kept on someone he described as “a good offensive wide player”.