IT’S UP TO ROY!
O’Neill wouldn’t stand in way of Keane chance
MARTIN O’NEILL won’t stand in Roy Keane’s way if his No 2 wants to leave the Republic of Ireland post and return to club management.
And O’Neill hasn’t discounted the possibility that Keane might leave prior to the Euro finals, although he stressed yesterday: ‘I would definitely want him [there].’
With Keane emitting conflicting signals about his future, O’Neill was asked at the Sports Manager of the Year awards yesterday, which he won jointly with Michael O’Neill, whether his assistant was 100 per cent nailed on to be with him in France.
‘I think that Roy is very much his own man and what he decides to do is entirely up to him,’ O’Neill replied. ‘I haven’t got a problem with him whatsoever in what he decides to do.’
Later, O’Neill returned to the subject. ‘First things first, I would definitely want him [Keane]. We would certainly want him to the Euros. After that, I don’t think we can predict the future.
‘Do I think that Roy is ready to go back into club management if that is what he wants to do? Absolutely. I think people keep forgetting that he did excellently at Sunderland. He would be great at it,
I have said that umpteen times, but he is young, he has had a taste for it and he will eventually want to go and make his own decision.’ Of his contract extension as Irish manager, O’Neill is content to wait until the New Year before signing a new deal with the FAI to cover the 2018 World Cup. Asked had there been talks with the FAI, he said: ‘We haven’t done (any), genuinely. I was in a euphoric state after we qualified. Then I came back for my daughter’s (Alana) wedding, that I had to concern myself about. ‘Then there is Christmas but we will get a few moments in January to sit down. There is no immediate rush. ‘There is a reasonable mind of all people to have a look a bit beyond (the Euros),’ he added, indicating a willingness on his side, and the FAI, to sign a new deal. With the transfer window about to open, O’Neill dropped a hint to Irish players out of mind at club level, including Aiden McGeady, that they need to get playing, quick, or risk missing out on the Euros. ‘I think this becomes an important issue. And I think that the players realise this,’ said O’Neill. ‘This is not me telling club managers what to do, absolutely not, but from January on, I’m not saying players should be immediately putting international football at the foremost of their mind, but they’ve got to be thinking about playing matches.’ Players like McGeady, Darron Gibson, Stephen Ward and Mark Wilson are out of favour at club level and O’Neill warned he won’t be taking passengers to the Euro 2016 finals. ‘I can’t go into the summertime carrying players who’ve maybe played two or three games, I certainly can’t carry a host of players doing that. ‘There’ll be one or two maybe who I might think “Well, maybe he can do something for us”. ‘People like McGeady have to play. Absolutely. Darron Gibson needs to play,’ said O’Neill. ‘We’ve got a number of players who need to play who have got the potential to be there with us and Aiden is one of those,’ he added. ‘Aiden McGeady’s goal against Georgia, to me, was as important a goal as Shane Long’s against Germany. You know what I think of Aiden McGeady as a player and what I think of him in terms of raw natural talent but his best games under me were when he was properly physically fit, having done a reasonable pre-season with Everton.’ O’Neill will use Ireland’s home friendlies on March 25 and March 29 to give fringe players, such as Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter, a chance to press his claims for the finals. ‘We’ve games coming up, and one or two players who have been in or around the scene will hopefully have the chance to go and stake a claim. Maybe somebody else will just pop up.’