Keane snaps up Miller

Roy Keane beat the transfer deadline tonight to sign Liam Miller from Manchester United.

He snapped up his former Old Trafford and international colleague on a free transfer, with Miller agreeing to a three-year contract at the Stadium of Light.

The deal looked to have completed a busy day for Keane.

The former Republic of Ireland international, unveiled as the Wearside club’s new manager on Tuesday, had earlier signed Dwight Yorke, Liam Miller, Graham Kavanagh, Ross Wallace and Stanislav Varga.

Yorke’s was the first deal finalised by the Coca-Cola Championship strugglers, who won their first match of the season on Monday, after five defeats.

The 34-year-old striker – who played with Keane in United’s treble-winning side of 1999 – joined from Australian A-League side Sydney FC.

Terry Butcher, Yorke’s coach at Sydney and a former Sunderland manager himself, said: “It’s sad to see Dwight leave.

“He is a great player and a tremendous personality to have in the team and he has worked very hard since I came to Sydney to be in shape to play.”

Keane then completed a move for 32-year-old Wigan midfielder Graham Kavanagh - a former Republic of Ireland international midfield team-mate.

The former Middlesbrough, Stoke and Cardiff player signed a three-year deal for a fee of £500,000, having left the Ireland squad preparing for Saturday’s European Championship qualifier with Germany in Stuttgart.

Later in the evening news of the double deal for Celtic pair Ross Wallace and Stanislav Varga was revealed.

In a combined deal potentially worth more than £1million, Scotland Under-21 midfielder and Slovakian international defender Varga moved to the Stadium of Light.

Keane spent the second half of last season with Celtic.

Wallace, a 21-year-old midfielder who can also play in defence, will strengthen a left side of the Sunderland side which has been depleted by the departures of George McCartney and Julio Arca to Barclays Premiership West Ham and Middlesbrough respectively.

Varga, a 33-year-old central defender, rejoins Sunderland three-and-a-half years after he left Wearside for Parkhead.