mawspurs
25-06-2010, 11:06 AM
Source: Irish Examiner
HARRY REDKNAPP hopes Robbie Keane can revitalise his career at White Hart Lane but the Spurs boss has admitted for the first time that the player’s desire for regular football could mean his future lies elsewhere.
The Ireland captain and all-time record-scorer fell down the pecking order at Spurs last season and was shipped out on loan for a spell at Celtic while the London club marched into Europe.
Now, Keane is due to report back to Spurs for the start of the new campaign but his manager concedes the player’s immediate future will ultimately be dictated by his hunger for regular, first-team football.
In an interview in the Weekend section of tomorrow’s Irish Examiner, Redknapp reveals: "It was difficult this year because Robbie wasn’t in the side. I had (Peter) Crouch, (Jermain) Defoe and (Roman) Pavlyuchenko – and I felt Robbie needed to play. The boy, if he’s not playing football, he’s not happy. Which is how it should be. And that’s why I let him go on loan to Celtic. But this year, I dunno, if he’s not in the team early on, then we’ll have the same problem so we’ll just have to wait and see.
"But Robbie’s a great player, a fantastic professional and I’d love to have him though he might not play every week. But I don’t know if Robbie would settle for that at the moment. I think he still feels he can play every game. If he starts the season well and he’s playing well and we’re going well, then it’s not a problem. We’ll have to wait to see."
Keane has already been linked with a possible move to a number of clubs, including Aston Villa and Celtic, amid reports yesterday that Spurs are ready to lower their asking price from £10m to £8m.
HARRY REDKNAPP hopes Robbie Keane can revitalise his career at White Hart Lane but the Spurs boss has admitted for the first time that the player’s desire for regular football could mean his future lies elsewhere.
The Ireland captain and all-time record-scorer fell down the pecking order at Spurs last season and was shipped out on loan for a spell at Celtic while the London club marched into Europe.
Now, Keane is due to report back to Spurs for the start of the new campaign but his manager concedes the player’s immediate future will ultimately be dictated by his hunger for regular, first-team football.
In an interview in the Weekend section of tomorrow’s Irish Examiner, Redknapp reveals: "It was difficult this year because Robbie wasn’t in the side. I had (Peter) Crouch, (Jermain) Defoe and (Roman) Pavlyuchenko – and I felt Robbie needed to play. The boy, if he’s not playing football, he’s not happy. Which is how it should be. And that’s why I let him go on loan to Celtic. But this year, I dunno, if he’s not in the team early on, then we’ll have the same problem so we’ll just have to wait and see.
"But Robbie’s a great player, a fantastic professional and I’d love to have him though he might not play every week. But I don’t know if Robbie would settle for that at the moment. I think he still feels he can play every game. If he starts the season well and he’s playing well and we’re going well, then it’s not a problem. We’ll have to wait to see."
Keane has already been linked with a possible move to a number of clubs, including Aston Villa and Celtic, amid reports yesterday that Spurs are ready to lower their asking price from £10m to £8m.