Keane and Brown still in tour contention

Alex Ferguson will decide next Tuesday or Wednesday whether Roy Keane and Wes Brown will be in Manchester United’s Far East tour squad.

An announcement from tour organisers in Hong Kong this morning claimed the pair had been ruled out of the trip with unspecified injuries, and that Argentinian full-back Gabriel Heinze would also be rested.

While Heinze has definitely been ruled out, there appears to have been some miscommunication between United’s Carrington training ground and the first destination on their three-country, four-game trip.

Although Ferguson did confirm Keane and Brown were presently sidelined, he claimed they had not yet been ruled out and would offer the pair every opportunity to play a full part in a vital stage of United’s pre-season campaign.

“They are both injured at the moment, but I am still quite positive,” said the Red Devils chief.

“We have taken Roy out of training because he picked up a hamstring injury last week, so he has been doing gym work, while Wes has been feeling his Achilles, which happens quite a lot on firm, hard ground.

“It is still quite tender but he is back in light jogging.

“We will be making a decision on Tuesday or Wednesday about whether they travel but we are keen for them to join us.

“By the time we come home, we will only have one more game before the Champions League qualifier on either August 9 or 10, so the tour is crucial to everyone’s preparation.”