PREMIER LEAGUE:ROY KEANE has told his prospective signing Anton Ferdinand that the move to Sunderland will galvanise his career and he can become an England international.
The 23-year-old West Ham centre-back is expected to complete the €10 million transfer today after yesterday's medical and Keane was happy to give an insight into how he persuaded his ninth signing of the summer to move to the Stadium of Light.
"Maybe Anton needed a new environment to get his career on to a new level," said Keane, who will take Sunderland to his former club Nottingham Forest in the League Cup tonight.
"He has had a very good club in West Ham, don't get me wrong, but sometimes when a player comes through the ranks and they have been there since they were a young kid, I think sometimes they get to a bit of a crossroads.
"They think, which road am I going to go on? Am I going to go to another level or just stay where I am?"
The sale of Ferdinand, who rejected a new contract this year, has irritated West Ham's manager, Alan Curbishley - reportedly the deal was agreed at boardroom level without his consent.
It may also annoy Sunderland's local rivals, Newcastle United, who were also interested in Ferdinand but were told he was unwilling to move so far north.
But Keane believes the deal for the former England under-21 international is good for all concerned because Ferdinand wanted to avoid going stale and West Ham will now receive a decent fee for him.
"There is no reason why he can't go on and become a top, top player. I think he has an international future," said Sunderland's manager. "He has played over 150 games and we're on about players with a bit of experience so, for all his rawness, he has a few games under his belt. He knows the Premiership, he is English, it's a good price, so it suits everyone.
"It will be up to Anton if he goes up to the next level; he has the ability but, trust me, it is always up to the player how far they go."
Keane is confident he will make one final signing before the close of the transfer window, with the Portsmouth left-back Hermann Hreidarsson the latest name to be linked with the Black Cats.
The impending arrival of Ferdinand has not tempted Keane to allow any of his players to leave on the cheap and there was a rebuke yesterday for the former Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy, now at Wolverhampton, whose bid to sign Danny Higginbotham was firmly rejected.
The duo have made their peace since McCarthy, as Ireland's manager, sent Keane home from the 2002 World Cup after the famous row in Saipan but Sunderland's manager was unimpressed by his former international team-mate's €1.9 million offer for the 29-year-old defender.
Keane paid more than double that 12 months ago to sign him from Stoke and said: "We paid good money for Danny and he has done well for us. He played 20-odd games in the Premier League last season and scored three goals. If someone tells me his value has halved in that time, then he won't be going anywhere."
Wolves have started the new season well and lie second in the table behind Birmingham City.
