Centre stage to karaoke stage for Keane
That was the first decidedly unofficial confirmation that the skipper’s leg muscle injury was more serious than we’d been led to believe after Friday night’s game in Andorra. Keane’s freelance music gigsubsequently became a one-day wonder on Twitter and the Joe Duffy Show but, it wasn’t until Giovanni Trapattoni came before us yesterday that all was finally revealed.
With a grin, the manager admitted that “maybe I was a liar” when, as late as Sunday, the media were being told that Keane was still in with a chance of making tonight’s game.
The manager further revealed he’d instructed FAI personnel to besimilarly economical with the truth, on the basis that it was better to keep the Armenians in the dark about the situation for as long as possible.
In fact, the leg muscle injury is so serious that it could keep Keane out of action for up to four weeks and potentially even rule him out of the play-offs should Irelandqualify tonight.
Trapattoni said Keane did not communicate that he was in any difficulty when seeing the match out in Andorra, the game in which he aggravated the existing injury.
“He probably just wanted to play and keep going,” said the manager.
“It got worse afterwards.”
Trapattoni also dismissed anysuggestion that Ireland’s wee hours journey back from Andorra via Barcelona to Dublin could have made a bad situation worse.
“The travel, no, the flying no,” he said.
“[The damage] was done on the pitch.”
And, finally, the Italian also made it clear he had no issue with the captain’s very public socialising in Malahide on Sunday, saying Keane had been given permission to leave the Irish camp so that he could spend time with family and friends and, indeed, go to the pub if he so wished.
Keane, who has already begun a course of treatment for his injury which will require injections every couple of days, will be attending tonight’s crucial game in the Aviva Stadium.
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