Sport

Keane to miss Denmark tie

Roy Keane was withdrawn yesterday from next week's friendly international against Denmark in Dublin

Fri Mar 22 2002 - 00:00

Roy Keane was withdrawn yesterday from next week's friendly international against Denmark in Dublin. The Manchester United skipper missed the Champions League game against Boavista on Tuesday because of a hip problem and with little sign of improvement during the club's preparations for Saturday's game against Middlesbrough Alex Ferguson has reportedly decided to rest him for 10 days. Emmet Malone reports.

"The club have pulled him out," confirmed Irish manager Mick McCarthy, "and it's not too surprising given that he missed the game the other night. Mark Kennedy's gone with a groin strain as well but I'm not too worried at the moment, we're still well covered."

McCarthy said he would consider whether to call anybody else into the squad over the weekend when the extent of his injury problems would become clearer. As of this morning he still has 23 players coming over for the game and that, he feels, is comfortably enough to get by with.

Keane's absence, combined with Mark Kinsella's knee injury, should mean Celtic's Colin Healy will get another chance to show what he can do in midfield. John O'Shea might also be in line for promotion to the senior squad although it increasingly looks as though he is peripheral to the manager's plans for this summer.

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Bolton Wanderers midfielder Stig Tofting has added to Danish coach Morten Olsen's problems ahead of next Wednesday's game by withdrawing from the squad because of injury. Tofting joins fellow midfielders Martin Jorgensen, Thomas Helveg and Claus Jensen on the sidelines, while Everton's Peter Gravesen is unavailable because of club commitments.

Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack and Carlisle United's on-loan striker Brendan McGill have withdrawn from Don Givens's squad for next Tuesday's under-21 international against Denmark in Cork. They are replaced by Gavin Kelly of Tottenham and Nottingham Forest's Brian Cash; Michael Keane (Preston), Joe Gamble (Reading) and Clifford Byrne (Sunderland) remain on stand by. The game will be the first midweek game to be played under the new lights at Turner's Cross.