Stapleton: Robbie can be Ireland’s Solskjaer

Frank Stapleton believes Robbie Keane can still contribute to Ireland’s World Cup campaign, even if Giovanni Trapattoni decides the LA Galaxy man is no longer an automatic starter in the team.

Former Manchester United and Arsenal legend Stapleton, who was also a renowned goalscorer for his county, says adapting to different requirements is something all top players need to be able to handle as they begin to close in on the final stages of their career.

“It comes to us all,” he says, “but at the same time I think that Robbie would still be delighted to be part of it. And he is realistic enough to know that he won’t be always starting and that he may be thrown in in games to try and turn things round if there is a problem. I think you have to come to terms with that. It is not easy but you have got to be realistic in the modern game.