Manchester United captain Roy Keane will be lining out to sign copies of his best-selling autobiography here within weeks, Penguin Ireland has pledged.
The former Republic of Ireland captain undergoes a hip operation today and may be out of competitive football until December.
The operation has led to the deferral of signings of Keane's book which had been scheduled for Eason bookshops in Cork, Dublin and Belfast tomorrow, Friday and Monday respectively.
Keane, the autobiography, is now the biggest ever selling hardback book here, with more than 100,000 copies sold just days after its launch on August 26th. It is number one on the bestseller list.
More than 300,000 copies have also been sold in the UK.
Mr Michael McLoughlin, of Penguin Ireland, yesterday promised that Keane's many fans in Ireland would have their books signed within weeks.
Noting that Eason's had expected people to camp outside its stores overnight this week to ensure they would get the Corkman's coveted signature, Mr McLoughlin said Keane would have his operation today and would then need some time to convalesce.
But, he added: "We're expecting him to do the signings within weeks, not months. Roy will definitely fulfil his commitments."
Mr McLoughlin added that he expected sales of the book to keep climbing, particularly in the pre-Christmas boom period.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for RTÉ's Late Late Show yesterday refused to confirm or deny rumours that Keane might be a guest on Friday's show.
She said it was not practice to state who would be appearing.
In an interview with The Irish Times on Saturday, prior to the announcement concerning his hip operation, Keane appeared to indicate he would not be on the show.
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