With a decision on his club future temporarily on hold, Roy Keane was firmly concentrating on the international game in Dublin yesterday, sitting out another day of training but confident that he will be fit for tomorrow evening's match against Yugoslavia at Lansdowne Road.
While Mick McCarthy talked of a possible scan on the player's right knee to gauge the extent of the damage done when the 28-year-old took a knock during last week's Super Cup match in Monaco, Keane himself played down the idea, insisting that the knee was fine and that the additional day's rest was merely a precaution.
On his situation at Old Trafford, the Corkman said only that the position would not progress now before the New Year when he would be in a position to listen to offers from other clubs.
"What United have offered me now is a good deal and I might decide to sign a new contract before the end of the season," he said "but I wasn't really 100 per cent sure about it in my own mind before and I don't really see how I can be now until I get a chance to hear what other clubs have to say.
"At this stage, though," he added "it's not about money, I mean it's a factor obviously, but it's more a case that, by the end of the season, I'll have been at United for seven years and while there are a lot of good reasons to stay on, there's always the fear of staying at the one club for too long so I want to take the opportunity of weighing up a new challenge in another country."
He said that Alex Ferguson has been very understanding about his position and made it clear that the club's offer is there for him if and when he decides on what it is he wants to do with his future. For the moment, though, the player maintains that he is simply undecided, a position that will not change until his representative get an idea of what the big Italian and Spanish clubs are willing to offer for his services.
"I'll wait and see, but I'm happy for the moment. I've won a lot of trophies with Manchester United and for the moment the priority is to win further honours with them this season. I'm the captain, which is a great honour, I've just bought a new house in Manchester and I have a very young family, all of which, I suppose, points to me staying there, but it's just too early yet to think about making a decision."
The fitness of Keane and a couple of others permitting, McCarthy said earlier there would be no great surprises when he names his side, probably early this afternoon. Niall Quinn, Robbie Keane, Kenny Cunningham, Alan Kelly and Steve Carr are among the players almost certain to start while, assuming Denis Irwin and Keane shrug off their minor injuries they will probably be joined in the starting line-up by Gary Breen and Mark Kinsella.
"I have to wait until I've had a chance to talk to everybody and hear how they are," said McCarthy "but people generally know what I think my best team is. Where there are injuries or other problems then I'll look at slotting people in, but I'll have to wait before making final decision on that."
The two places in the side where some slotting in may have to be done appear to be wide on either side of midfield. With Jason McAteer and Damien Duff injured and Mark Kennedy arriving late having played for Manchester City just yesterday there will have to be changes.
Widening his options somewhat, McCarthy yesterday called Leeds defender Ian Harte into the squad and he, Steve Staunton and Kevin Kilbane could all be in with a shout of starting on the left side of midfield. With McCarthy talking of using wingers to supply crosses for the centre forwards, though, Kilbane looks set to start.
The problems on the right seem greater and the manager's options appear to come down to giving Gary Kelly his first competitive start in more than a year, Jeff Kenna his second of the season, moving Carr forward, Irwin to right back and playing Staunton on the left side of the defence or throwing Kennedy in for what would be his third game in five days.
For Kilbane the prospect of another opportunity to show what he can do at senior level looks likely to come at a time when he has really come of age at West Bromwich. Playing at wing back for his club since the start of the season, the Preston-born player has excelled, scoring four goals and contributing a good deal to his club's strong start to the new league campaign.
"It's been good for me all right," he says of the last few weeks at the Hawthorns. "I think Brian Little arriving was a bit of a shock to quite a few of the lads, but he's brought in new ideas and it seems to have a positive effect on things."
His own form has certainly been strong, something he is hoping will continue tomorrow night if he gets to start the game for he admits that, since making his senior debut during the latter stages of the World Cup qualifiers two years ago, he has not always shown his best when representing his country.
"Well, I haven't had too many chances, but the Iceland game really didn't work out for me, which is something you just have to accept happens, and after it I was sent back to the under-21s where I just had to keep my head down and get on with it. "I don't think I did myself justice in the Argentina game either, to be fair, but I like to think that I've been maturing, mentally and physically, and that I'll be ready to go out there and do what I'm asked to if the call comes again." If it comes tomorrow, the 22-year-old insists, he'll be ready and waiting.
The FAI yesterday announced a 10-year £2.5 million sponsorship deal with soft drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola for their new stadium development at Citywest. The deal comes just matter of weeks after the announcement that Telecom Eireann are to have the stadium named Eircom Park as part of an overall £18 million package.
