Rob’s one for the road

ROBBIE KEANE could slip quietly into retirement given the 20 year-career he’s had at the top of the tree in both international and club football, scoring a combined total of 313 goals in 715 games. Instead, we learned this week that he is considering offers from his old Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp to join up with him again, this time at Birmingham. He’s also on the radar of his first professional club, Wolverhampton Wanderers (whom he joined from Crumlin United in 1996) which, if he were the senitmental type, would bookend his career rather nicely. Currently keeping himself fit by training with Shamrock Rovers, he’s also been coaching underage players but hasn’t hidden his desire to keep on playing to a decent level. Now 36 and having spent the last five years in the somewhat less-than-competitive, less arduous American MLS it may be asking a bit much of his creaking bones – especially as he’s not kicked a competitive ball in anger since November 2016. But Robbie was always a trier, and you can’t blame him for looking for one last hurrah.