Robbie Keane, the injured Wolverhampton forward, yesterday confirmed that he will not be available for the Republic of Ireland's European Championship game against Yugoslavia on November 18th.

Keane who underwent a cartilage operation last Tuesday, said he had been advised by his doctor that he can expect to be out of football for anything up to six weeks.

"I had hoped to be back sooner but if takes six weeks to get myself fully fit again, then I'll just have to learn to be patient," he said.