Keane: England won’t handle heat in Brazil

Roy Keane has put the boot into England’s World Cup hopes, insisting the players are "in for a massive shock" and won’t be able to handle the conditions in Brazil.

The outspoken Corkman said he knows from experience how difficult it is to play in the Brazilian heat, having toured there with Manchester United in his playing days. And the Republic of Ireland assistant manager predicted England’s stars will struggle even to get out of their group.

“England won’t get to the quarter-finals. I think they’ll find it hard in the heat,” he told the London’s Radio Times.

“They don’t keep the ball well enough, so they get tired quicker. I played in Brazil with Manchester United and they were the worst conditions I have ever played in. The England players are in for a massive shock.”

Meanwhile, Ron Vlaar has thrown his support behind Keane’s expected appointment as the new assistant manager of Aston Villa.

The Republic of Ireland number two is closing in on a deal at Villa Park after turning down the job as Celtic manager and pulling out as a World Cup pundit for ITV. And Dutch centre-back Vlaar, who is also the Villa captain, gave his backing to the imminent arrival of ex-Manchester United midfielder Keane working under Paul Lambert.

“Everybody has respect for him and I look forward to it. He has a lot of, how you say, fighting spirit, and I think that’s really good for us. He can do more than that,” he said.

“He’s a very strong character, he wants to win and he shows that to his teammates. That’s good for us.

“He [Lambert] can be really hard inside [the dressing room] but after the game and in the press he always protects us. That’s a good thing. But we do know what we do wrong. ”