O'Neill firmly behind controversial Keane ahead of US friendly

Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill will ask his players to ignore an eventful few days in the career of assistant Roy Keane as they attempt to bring a winning end to their 2014 fixtures.

Ireland face the United States in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium tonight with O’Neill preparing to hand senior debuts to Derby full-back Cyrus Christie and Ipswich striker David McGoldrick.