Hew father Robbie Keane (left) with his namesake Roy. He didn’t have the baby, did he? “Again, we’ll see how that goes over the next 24 hours”.
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Ireland’s captain might indeed be “all right” for Thursday but his late arrival only adds weight to the suspicion that he is not likely to feature in the starting line-up against the Germans.
Keane also suggested that Shane Long’s pace and ability to pressure defences would be welcomed against Germany, but made no guarantee that any player would be an automatic selection.
The Republic have a series of selection headaches with midfielders Glenn Whelan and James McClean suspended and full-back Seamus Coleman, central defender Marc Wilson and playmaker Wes Hoolahan carrying knocks.
“When you’ve got a team that likes to keep possession of the ball, sometimes they can get a little bit carried away”, he observed.
Roy Keane retorted when asked about the striker’s availability for the Group D tussle.
‘We have asked Roy but unfortunately he is tied up’. “They are still a fantastic team, but they certainly have a few flaws in the team”.
Ireland hold a four-point advantage over Scotland but their passage is far from certain with Poland awaiting on Sunday.
He said: “I think we are a stronger team. But we will be ready”.
Former Tottenham star Keane will join-up with his worldwide team-mates on Wednesday and Martin O’Neill’s assistant said he expects the 35 year-old to play against the world champion.
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“When you’re in a sporting environment and trying to win football matches and there’s a lot of pressure, even when I was a manager, I liked people to fall out with each other”.
