Keane could make October comeback

Roy Keane could be back in action within days of his Football Association disciplinary hearing.

Keane is recovering from a hip operation, but is also suspended following his recent dismissal against Sunderland.

Initially, Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson, whose side needed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penalty to overcome Tottenham yesterday, suggested Keane could be missing for three months after undergoing surgery to clear up a long-standing problem.

However, after taking advice from Arsenal, where Freddie Ljungberg underwent the same operation, Ferguson is hoping his captain will be fit within a month.

And, if that is the case, Keane could make a dramatic comeback for the Champions League trip to Olympiakos on October 23, eight days after the Corkman’s date with the FA disciplinary committee when he will contest two disrepute charges.

“Our medical staff have spoken to the Arsenal people who looked after Freddie Ljungberg when he had the same operation,” said the United boss.

“I can’t tell you what stage of his recovery Roy is at because we have no previous experience of the problem. But he is looking fine, walking without any problem and is doing upper body work in the gym.

“I would hope that we would have him back in another month.”

Keane confirmed yesterday that he will defend himself against the FA charges that he deliberately set out to injure Alfie Haaland at Old Trafford in May last year and also that he has profited from the tackle by including the gory details in his recently-released autobiography.

Unless Keane can clear his name, he faces the possibility of a hefty fine and an eight-match ban, which would rule him out of Premiership action until the middle of December.

Keane will certainly be absent on Tuesday, when United go gunning for revenge for last season’s Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

The Germans do not appear to have overcome the summer departures of Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto, managing just two league wins this season and suffering a shock 6-2 reverse in their opening Champions League outing against Olympiakos in Athens on Wednesday.

Victory for United would leave Leverkusen on the brink of elimination, but Ferguson is still expecting a tough encounter.

“They are obviously missing Ballack and Ze Roberto,” said Ferguson.

“When you lose two players like that it is a big loss. It is the same with us a little bit. We have been without Gary Neville this season, Paul Scholes hasn‘t been right and Roy Keane is out.

“That takes the substance out of your team and it shows you what Leverkusen are going through.

They are not getting the consistency of results they think they deserve.

“We know how much resilience German sides have shown over the years and you would expect them to regroup quickly. Their coach is a good coach and we expect a hard game.

“We will not be going there thinking they have fallen apart because of one result. It doesn’t work like that.”