Denis Irwin has admitted he is shocked by Roy Keane's decision to quit international football - but believes it will become an option taken far morefrequently by Premiership players in the future.
Keane has turned his back on the Republic of Ireland on medical advice afterthe 31-year-old had originally informed new boss Brian Kerr that he would wearthe green shirt again after his summer World Cup walk-out.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had already indicated he would preferthat his inspirational skipper did not return to the international fold andafter consultation with Old Trafford doctors, Keane has agreed.
As a former colleague of Keane's at both club and country, Irwin believes thedecision is bad news for Ireland but, coming just days after Leeds defenderDominic Matteo took the same course of action by ending his Scotland career, theveteran Wolves defender can see it becoming a more regular occurrence.
"With the pace of the game now and all the travelling involved, you can seethis kind of thing happening more and more," Irwin told MUTV.
"Nevertheless, it is a bit of a shock that we won't see Roy wearing the greenshirt again. He will be terribly missed.
"After what happened in the summer I'm sure he was desperate to come back.But he has just recovered from a hip operation and also suffered cruciate damageto his knee not that long ago and he has obviously decided to take the advice ofhis doctor."
Keane missed a total of 26 games during almost four months on the sidelines atthe start of the season.
He has admitted it has taken him some time to reach top form but he turned inan outstanding display during the first half of Sunday's Manchester derby,although, like the rest of his team, he faded after the interval as City cameback to snatch a 1-1 draw.
PA