Soccer: Kenny Cunningham yesterday expressed the hope that the news of Roy Keane's return from international exile will be swiftly followed by a call-up for the 32-year-old midfielder when Brian Kerr names his squad next week for the game against Poland. Emmet Malone reports.Soccer Correspondent

The Republic of Ireland skipper feels that Keane's early inclusion in the team's preparations for the next World Cup campaign would be a positive move now that he has revealed his intention to play for the Republic again, and the Birmingham City defender plays down the idea that there might be problems with senior squad members over the Corkman's emergence from international retirement.

"In relation to the Poland game," he says, "I'm sure that Roy, having made himself available, would want to go. I would certainly expect that if he's fit he'll be included for the game.

"These friendly games are about getting us ready for the qualifiers in the autumn and if Roy's going to be a part of that then I would have thought that it's of benefit to everybody that he's involved as much as possible from the word go."

Asked about reports that there would be disquiet within the squad over the return of the Manchester United midfielder, Cunningham said that while he finds it impossible to talk for anybody else within the squad, "the most important factor is the question of whether the squad will be improved by Roy's return.

"Whatever your view on what happened at the World Cup, who was to blame and all of that, I think you have to see that we will be stronger with him back.

"As professionals what we all want is success, to do well in the qualifiers, to play at the next World Cup, and anybody who has seen him play, anybody who has played alongside him and knows what a presence he is on the field, is going to realise that they have a better chance of achieving those goals with Roy in the side."

Cunningham stopped some way short of claiming that everybody in the squad will relish the Corkman's return but said: "I don't think that people should play too much on the idea of the players being disgruntled. I've been around the game for 15 years and I've never once been in a dressing-room where everybody was going to be your bosom buddy.

"The important thing is that you have a good working relationship and professional respect for each other."

Quite how Keane might express his respect for the players he parted company with in Japan almost two years ago remains to be seen but Cunningham remarked with a laugh, "I wouldn't imagine he's going to address the troops like Moses from the mountain. Roy will probably just come back in and look to start winning games; that's the sort of guy he is."

Despite being widely expected to retain the captaincy, Cunningham said the matter was one for Kerr to deal with.

"I've been privileged to be made captain by Mick and then Brian but if Brian feels that the interests of the team would be better served by giving the role to Roy or anybody else then I would accept that."

Some senior team-mates, however, might not be quite so understanding.

The Dubliner went on to acknowledge that Keane's return to the squad is sure to be a major talking point when the players gather next Sunday for the trip to Poland given, he said, that the news had come "like a bolt from the blue" on Tuesday.

Contrary to reports from within the FAI that Kerr had briefed his players on the possibility of Keane's return when they gathered in Dublin for the Czech game last month, Cunningham insisted he knew nothing of what was going on behind the scenes.

"Obviously I knew there were rumblings and that Roy had gone on the record a couple of times saying he was interested but Brian was doing the talking and I certainly wasn't privy to what was going on.

"Maybe something was said to someone but as far as I was concerned there's was nothing to suggest this was about to happen."

Meanwhile, Niall Quinn, one of the players who angered Keane most back in Saipan, welcomed Keane's return to the squad.

"There's no point in looking backwards," said Quinn on RTÉ radio yesterday. "He's a great footballer and he missed out in the prime of his career on a World Cup. Maybe he can stretch it out now and help the team to the next one so he can finally get there and show everybody what he's made off.

"If it's a line in the sand," he added, "and it's moving forward then I think it's great.

"Whatever about individual people falling out and all the rest of it, it's over and done with now. It's football that's back on the front pages and the back pages.

"Like everybody in the country I'll be 100 per cent behind the team getting to the World Cup."