‘It’s so close to home, it really does hit you’
don’t get carried away that football can help any situation like that,’ the Ireland assistant manager said. ‘It kind of tells you how unimportant football is in a sense. This idea, that football is more important than life and death...that’s ridiculous when you see people being targeted like that. I’m the same as anyone else, it’s shocking. ‘When it happens on your doorstep it seems to hit home a bit more. It’s the planet we live on. It’s shocking. ‘I am not surprised by the reaction of the city in the last few days. Manchester has had its ups and downs like everything else. The reaction has been nice but it’s not going to bring the people back who have been killed or badly injured.’ Keane also admitted that it was part of the ‘shocking’ nature of life that Wednesday’s final in Stockholm still went ahead despite the terrorist atrocity in Manchester just 48 hours earlier. ‘When there is a game, unfortunately you just have to get on with life, you have to get on with these things. Thinking that a sporting occasion or winning a trophy will at some stage help people who have been killed or lost people, that wouldn’t work for me, I know that. ‘But you have to get on with normality which is shocking really after the scenes. All you can do is to send your thoughts to the people who have been suffering.’ Keane’s primary thoughts for the past three-days have centred around those in the Ireland squad who took part in a training camp in Cork building towards next month’s World Cup qualifier at home to Austria.
James McClean was not among those at Fota Island and wasn’t scheduled to travel to America on Monday ahead of the friendly with Mexico in New Jersey, but the West Brom star phoned manager Martin O’Neill to insist he wanted to make the trip. ‘What he doesn’t know yet is he probably won’t get a game over there,’ Keane joked. ‘He’s always keen to join up. ‘Obviously, the other players will join up when we get back from the States. But James spoke to the manager and said he’s keen to travel. And… we’re letting him!’ McClean’s willingness to give up on some holiday time is nothing compared to the sacrifice of newcomer Kevin Long. The Burnley defender revealed he will miss his brother’s wedding to be in America but Keane didn’t seem overly impressed. ‘It’s not his wedding, is it?’ he deadpanned. ‘I missed my sister’s wedding. I had a friendly with Man Utd. You miss these occasions… And his brother might get married again another time,’ Keane added with a smile.