Fergie: No quick deal for Keane

Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Manchester United are in no rush to sort out Roy Keane’s future at Old Trafford.

The 34-year-old Irishman is out of contract at the end of the season and said last month he would be “surprised” if he was offered a new deal in time to stop him looking elsewhere.

Ferguson backed up that view by telling the News of the World: “Roy is 34 years of age and it’s the same for everyone else, we will assess it at the right time.

“Roy knows that and his agent knows that. We were never going to negotiate with Roy at this moment in time.

“That was decided long ago between his agent and United chief executive David Gill.

“His contract is up at the end of the season but we knew that three years ago, we knew it two years ago and we knew it last year.”

Keane, who this week quit international football for the second time, has expressed a desire to play on at club level for another couple of years.

However, he fears he may have to leave Old Trafford to achieve that.

“I would like to play another year or two but I do not think it will be at Manchester United,” Keane recently told MUTV.

“I would be surprised if I was offered a new contract and even if I was, I would not expect it to be until the end of the season but by then I will have already made a decision about what I am going to do.

“There comes a time for everybody when they have to move on and I am prepared to play elsewhere.

“I think it will be good to experience a different dressing room. It wouldn’t be an English team though, coming back to Old Trafford and going into the away dressing room would be too hard for me to stomach.”