SOCCER: Manchester United skipper Roy Keane has insisted that he could not be happier playing for the club.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder spoke out as speculation mounted that the 32-year-old's time at Old Trafford could be drawing to a close as a result of his decision to return to international football.

Keane has repeatedly been linked with a move to Celtic since confessing that he might like to end his career there but he has played down the talk.

"My stance is that I have two years on my contract at Manchester United and I have never been happier," he said. "In my eyes, I am playing for the biggest club in the world, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

"Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for the Milans, Madrids, the Arsenals and the Celtics they're all great clubs. But I've got two years on my contract and I couldn't be happier. It's unfortunate, but it is part of football that people are going to speculate."

Keane was forced to withdraw from the Republic squad for this evening's friendly in Poland, a game which would have seen him return to the Ireland fold for the first time since his much-publicised pre-World Cup bust-up with then boss Mick McCarthy.

Rumours of a fall-out with club manager Alex Ferguson over his decision to make himself available to McCarthy's successor Brian Kerr have fuelled the newest speculation after a troubled campaign at Old Trafford.

But Keane is confident his choice will prove to be correct. "I think as a player, you can't be looking too far ahead," he told the club's official website, www.manutd.com. "And in football, I think you should always expect the unexpected.

"I'm sitting here saying 'I've got two years left on my contract'; many players have said that and before you know it, they're off.

"I try not to look too far ahead. You have to make these decisions, like the one about playing for Ireland. I made the decision and there are lots of reasons why, but I just feel it is the right one. And I believe I will be proved right. We'll see. You have to expect the unexpected."

Keane has blamed the loss of the Premiership title to Arsenal on his side's blunders against the division's weaker sides.

United drew both their league games against the runaway champions and famously hammered the first nail into the coffin of their Treble bid when they dumped them out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage.

However, Ferguson's men have seen Fulham and Middlesbrough win at Old Trafford and have left Southampton, Wolves, Portsmouth and, perhaps most spectacularly, neighbours Manchester City, with nothing to show for their efforts.

"It's no good at all to compete with Arsenal but lose to the smaller teams," admitted Keane in a frank assessment of his club's season. "That is what we have done.

"That's the way it was in the old days. It was the case years ago when United were beating Liverpool but not winning championships - winning the odd FA Cup was seen as a high for the season. We don't want to go back to those days."

"Now, with the way things have changed for us over the last decade, people are talking about it as a consolation prize.

"When we disappoint, we all suffer, and we've disappointed too many times this season."