Keane shocked by Doyle omission

Robbie Keane admits that he was shocked by the omission of Kevin Doyle from the Irish squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Stockholm.

“I think probably everybody was,” admitted the Ireland captain. “Kevin has done fantastic for the country since he starting playing. Things are not going too well at Wolves and that’s certainly not down to Kevin. But the manager made the decision and you have to respect him. As we know in this game, anything can happen. Kevin scored at the weekend so it can easily change around. He could be in the next squad, you just don’t know.”

Keane, now also the skipper at LA Galaxy since David Beckham departed the States, says that he’s personally feeling “good and sharp” at the moment, even though, in the very next breath, he reveals that football continues to take a toll on his body. And it was medical advice, he adds, which effectively decided that he would not return to England on loan during the US close season.