Robbie Keane is headed for the most demanding challenge of his eventful season, when he starts his first full international game against Argentina at Lansdowne Road.

Without waiting to announce the remainder of his team, Mick McCarthy confirmed that Keane will join Niall Quinn in the front line in what is, by some way, the biggest of the Republic of Ireland's three warm-up games for the European championship.

When Keane partnered Damien Duff, another of the outstanding talents unearthed in the last year, in the "B" team which played Northern Ireland at Tolka Park in February, the public response was such that the gates had to be locked half an hour before kick off time.

A groin strain means that Duff will not have an opportunity of adding to the cap he won in the Czech Republic last month. But FAI officials, possibly, with an eye on the robust marketing campaign being mounted for this game, will be hoping that the reaction to his selection, is no less enthusiastic now.

Like Duff, Keane was capped for the first time in the Czech game, although in his case, he didn't get on until the second half in the reshuffle occasioned by the withdrawal of Alan Maybury. Playing in a wide role on the right, he was by-passed by the game for the first 15 minutes but no sooner had he been switched into the centre, than the tempo was picked up significantly.

"That's where he will be deployed on Wednesday and I'm excited by the potential of his partnership with Niall Quinn," said McCarthy. "Robbie can do things with the ball that others only aspire to and apart from his ability to go past people, he has the knack of scoring.

"He'll not be fazed by the prospect of playing against a team like Argentina but I reckoned that the sooner I told him he was in the side, the better he'd be able to prepare himself mentally for it. It's a big test for a lad of his age but then, it's a big test for even the senior players.

"I was tempted to select David Connolly, who playing on his own up front, was outstanding against the Czech Republic. The fact that he'll miss the first two games in the European championship because of suspension, was the deciding factor in leaving him out."

Keane, who will not be 18 until July 8th, has been an instant favourite with Wolves' fans, attracted as much by his audacity on the ball as his fairytale breakthrough this season. Apart from his skill, he brings a lot of vitality to his game and the strain has occasionally shown in recent months when he drifted in and out of Wolves' team.

Wolverhampton manager Mark McGhee is the first to acknowledge that at 17, Keane is beginning to betray signs of fatigue but the hope is that the sheer size of the task awaiting him tomorrow will extract a corresponding response from a youngster who seems destined to be around for years to come.

McCarthy also named Steve Staunton as captain of the team for the fourth time. Ken Cunningham led the team against Czechs and the fact that the job has now reverted to Staunton, suggests that the manager is resigned to the fact that a thigh strain sustained by the Wimbledon player at the weekend, will not heal in time.

This could present a problem in central defence where the styles of Phil Babb and Gary Breen may not be seen as complementary. Ian Harte was left out of the team to facilitate Breen's inclusion in the game at Olomouc but now, with the graph of his career at Leeds again on the climb, he may be set for a recall.

Confirming Staunton's appointment as team captain, the manager identified his composure on the ball as the attribute which stamps him as a natural leader. But the bigger question of whether Staunton, Cunningham or a fit Roy Keane will lead the team into the European championship campaign in the autumn, will be deferred until closer to the opening game against Croatia on September 8th.

The other pertinent news to emerge yesterday is that Alan McLoughlin, the Portsmouth midfielder, is likely to join Duff, David Kelly and Gareth Whalley on the list of non-starters. McLoughlin limped out of yesterday's training session after aggravating a knee injury and is now given little hope of playing tomorrow.

Lee Carsley, recovering from 'flu, may delay the selection of the team until tomorrow, although McCarthy has promised to make an early team announcement if feasible, presumably in the cause of heightening the build up to the game.

"It's a big game for us and it would be great if it were played in an authentic big game atmosphere," he said. "Visiting teams don't come much bigger than Argentina and I believe its going to be a great occasion.

"That surprising defeat by Israel last Wednesday, will have had the effect of concentrating minds in the Argentinian squad. They will not want to lose two games on the trot.

"It doesn't really matter how teams do in the lead up to the World Cup finals once they play well when they get there. That said, however, I imagine that Daniel Passerella who came in for some criticism during their qualifying programme, will want to make a few points to his countrymen back home on Wednesday."

The persistence of the innuendos that the result in Jerusalem had rubbed some of the sheen from Argentina's earlier wins over Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, would eventually elicit a genuine McCarthyism.

"No, I don't accept that," he told his audience. "They'll have the full metal jacket on for our game."