Soccer: Mary Hannigan listens to the former Ireland captain half-say he'd be half-interested in a class of a return

Padraig Mallon, the chief executive of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, thanked Roy Keane for the support, private and public, he has given the organisation. "If we were doing this here today," he said at the launch of the Shades for a Day campaign, "without Roy Keane, with all due respect, we might not get the coverage we're going to get," he smiled.

True, but "Keane probably won't say anything of note today", was the private consensus. The first question and response suggested as much.

How's Triggs? "Fine. Walked her this morning. She's very good. Very good."

The well-being of Golden Labradors doesn't, on the whole, make headlines; Roy Keane half-suggesting that he'd half-like to play for Ireland again does. A case that seemed firmly closed was, then, re-opened. Again.

But it had all started tamely enough.

Did you watch the match last night?

"Yeah," he grinned, evidently thinking "here we go".

What d'you think?

"Very good. I thought it was a good match, thought Ireland played very well and probably should have won."

Did any players catch your eye?

"I wouldn't say from Ireland's point of view that there were any outstanding individual performances, I just thought the whole team played very well. Looked very solid, disciplined. It's tough against Brazil. I thought Kevin Kilbane played particularly well, going at people. On another day Stephen Carr might have scored, Robbie (Keane) certainly would have scored, so I think they were probably a bit unlucky. And that's being honest - I know Ronaldo had one or two half-chances, but I generally thought Ireland played very, very well."

Roy, at this same event last summer you mentioned that you were distressed that you were no longer part of the national set-up . . .

"Distressed? Did I use 'distressed'? Distressed," he asked again, with a quizzical look.

. . . has that emotion changed?

"A lot's changed in a year. I've been very fortunate in that time, especially with my hip injury, that's really settled down a bit. A lot of that is down to me getting more rest. It's a year further down the line, you know? In time it's healed and got better.

"I still miss international football, of course I do. But I think it's important to move on. I did an interview with the United magazine a few months ago, I said I missed playing for Ireland and everyone got carried away with it. People talk about me coming back, but I think it's important to move on. But I don't think it's as simple as me saying 'I want to come back playing international football', obviously that would be down to Brian Kerr. Simple as that really."

But have you a niggling feeling that . . .

"Are you looking for a headline," he laughs. "Yeah, to be honest there is part of me that . . . look . . . I said when I retired, after speaking to the surgeon, that I just felt there was part of me that had unfinished business and I suppose that will always be with me."

Do you think you might act on that unfinished business? "But it's not as simple as saying 'Roy Keane says he would like to go back to international football', it would probably be unfair on Brian Kerr, maybe the team too because they seem to be going along pretty nicely. If 'Roy Keane' was to come back it might upset things a little bit. So I really don't think it's as simple as me saying I'd like to be made available for selection again. It might be positive, but then again I think it might be negative - watching the team last night, they seem to be doing very well. If I was to come back it might create a bit of a media frenzy, shall we say, and that might be unfair."

But if an approach were made to you, would you react positively?

"I don't know, I think it's a hard question to answer, you'd have to ask the manager, I suppose. I think it would be hard (coming back) for friendly matches, to be honest with you. I'll be 33 in August, the first World Cup qualifying match is in September, you're looking at 10 matches here. I think it might be unfair on the team, actually, because if I was to come back it would have to be just for qualifying matches. I think when you're a manager you're trying to get stability, so it might be unfair."

But everyone leaves this room, rings Brian Kerr and says . . .

". . . sure, they'll ring Brian Kerr anyway."

Yeah, but if they tell him Roy Keane is interested in coming back . . . is that what you're saying?

"I'm not saying anything - you know what the press is like. All I'm saying is I don't think it's as simple as that really. There are lots of things to take into the equation."

But purely from a football point of view, physically and desire-wise, would you like to play for Ireland again?

"Well, I've always said I miss international matches, I said that when I retired and even after the fiasco of the World Cup. Obviously Brian is doing things properly now, which I felt the previous manager wasn't doing, and there were a lot of people on board with it. Maybe there are still those people on board in the background, not necessarily the manager. But again, we could be here all day talking about it. I'm pretty much focused on Manchester United. But there will always be that part of me that feels there is unfinished business there."

Then some other questions.

Liam Miller? "I think he can have a great career at United. It'll be nice to have another Cork man there, even though he'll probably be after my position - hopefully he'll have to wait a year or two yet."

What about the other Cork man, John Magnier?

"Who?"

John Magnier? "I don't think it's fair for me, honestly, to comment on any private matters between the manager and anybody else. I'm paid very well to play football, that's what I concentrate on doing, I try not to get involved in any of that."

But nobody was really concentrating. Did he just say he wanted to play for Ireland again? Or didn't he? Or did he half say he kind of half-wanted Brian Kerr to half-ask him back? Will this ever end? Even in a half-kind of way?