Bale comments underline why Ireland need Roy

ROY KEANE was always likely to be the very last Irishman keeping his fingers crossed, or offering up some wayward prayers, when it came to the matter of Gareth Bale’s damaged ankle tendons. This week he confirmed exactly that.

The Republic of Ireland assistant manager also reminded us exactly why he is paid a small truck load of money to do his job. It’s not just because he’s Martin O’Neill No2; it’s because, unlike anybody else in and around the Irish camp, Keane brings the definitive winning mentality into the dressing room with him every day of the week.

The announcement that Bale was back in the plans of Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, and was exactly on course to be screeching down the wing against Ireland in our World Cup qualifier against the Welsh in Dublin on March 24, had many Irish hearts beating with some disappointment. But not Roy’s. He told the country that he had never thought about Bale over the last two months as the wizard of the wing underwent ankle surgery — and that he always expected him to be present and in perfect fitness in Aviva Stadium for arguably the most crucial game of football played in this country in over a decade. More than that, Keane (below) asked why anybody who knows anything about the Republic of Ireland team would be fretting about Bale when the likes of Séamus Coleman is awaiting him in a green shirt? Keane believes that he and Martin O’Neill have the men at their disposal to make it to the next World Cup as group winners, and not hanging on to the coat-tails of a playoff game. After beating World Cup champions Germany en route to the Euro 2016 finals, and taking out Italy once we arrived in France last summer, we should not need reminding that he is dead right. But, once again, Keane is right.