Keane injury not as bad as first thought

Manchester United skipper Roy Keane is set to be out of action for a total of three weeks, but this is good news for United because it was originally thought that he would be out for up to six weeks. It had been feared the hamstring strain collected by the midfielder in the Manchester derby at the weekend would keep the 34-year-old out for some time.However, The Red Devils have confirmed the knock is not as bad as initially thought and they hope to have him back within three weeks.


Keane who is out of United's squad to face La Liga outfit Villareal tonight in the Group D of the Champions League will miss United's crunch match on Sunday against arch rivals Liverpool. Former Leeds United striker Alan Smith has been deputising in a defensive midfield role and he could get the nod to face The Reds at Anfield on Sunday. Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr will be hoping his influential midfielder will be available to tackle Switzerland in a crucial World Cup qualifier in the middle of October.

Keane is an influential figure in the United squad and any team would miss a player as big as him. It will be though for United tonight and I think that they would be lucky to get a draw against Villareal. Alan Mith should step in but I'm not sure he is a great midfield player yet and I still think he is a better striker.