SUNDERLAND'S CHAIRMAN, Niall Quinn, has vowed to fend off any interest in his manager, Roy Keane, as he prepares to reward the Irishman for his achievements with a long-term contract.

Keane - who will be one of the favourites to succeed Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United when the Scot eventually retires - will have just one year left on his present deal when the two parties sit down to talk at the end of the season. And Quinn, who was largely responsible for bringing his former Republic of Ireland team-mate to Sunderland 18 months ago, knows he will be seeking assurances about the club's future ambition, as well as his personal financial rewards, before he agrees to an extension.

Keane, who guided Sunderland to promotion in his first season in management, has since developed an emotional attachment to the club, but he will still need to be convinced he will be given the resources to improve again next season.

With last weekend's 2-1 win over West Ham lifting the Black Cats seven points clear of the relegation places, Quinn feels that process will be able to begin soon.

"There will be top clubs who have looked at what is happening at Sunderland," said Quinn. "As the thing gets better and better you can see somebody coming in for our manager. There's no point saying it's not going to happen - somebody will try to take Roy from us at some point."

Nevertheless, Quinn knows nothing will be finalised until Sunderland, who travel to relegation-threatened Fulham on Saturday, are certain of safety. He said: "We are taking nothing for granted because there are a lot of points still to play for and we have a lot of work to do to maintain a place in the Premier League."

Meanwhile, Blackburn have denied an English Football Association misconduct charge of failing to control their players and officials after an incident involving Morten Gamst Pedersen and Newcastle's Habib Beye during the match at St James' Park on March 1st. A hearing will be scheduled by the FA in the next couple of weeks.