SOCCER: It could be coincidence, of course, but around about the time Alex Ferguson confirmed at his routine Friday press conference yesterday that Manchester United would indeed be offering Roy Keane the opportunity to further extend his time at Old Trafford, the Corkman announced he had played his last game in the green shirt of Ireland.

In a statement issued last night the 34-year-old expressed his disappointment that the Republic had not qualified for the World Cup but gave firm support to embattled manager Brian Kerr.

He said he was grateful to the many people who had supported him over the course of an international career that started back in 1991 but he concluded the time had come to concentrate all his energies on club football.

"Like all football supporters in the country I am disappointed that Ireland failed to qualify for the World Cup finals," he said. "Much as I would like to continue playing for my country, I feel the time has come when I should retire from international football and concentrate on domestic football for whatever remains of my football career."

The statement continued: "I am aware of the efforts that Brian Kerr and his staff made in an endeavour to qualify for the World Cup finals (and) I believe the recent criticism of Brian in the media is both unjust and unfair.

"I would like to thank everyone for the support which they have given me during my international career," it concluded.

Keane's decision to bow out comes just weeks after the MUTV interview in which he said he would discuss his position within the Irish team with the manager after Ireland's involvement in the World Cup had come to an end.

He will, however, be almost 37 by the time the 2008 European Championship comes around and so, with the prospect of playing at another World Cup finals having evaporated on Wednesday night when Ireland's draw with Switzerland was good enough only to secure fourth place in their qualification group, he has opted to call it a day.

Despite Keane's diminishing influence, the absence of the player will still be considered a blow by Brian Kerr or whoever the FAI appoints to succeed him over the coming couple of months.

There were points during the World Cup campaign when it was abundantly clear Keane was no longer capable of dominating games as he once had. That was evident particularly in Israel in March, when he was as guilty as any of his team-mates of surrendering the initiative to the home side, who salvaged a draw with a last-minute goal.

Had Ireland won that game they would have qualified for the play-offs.

Equally though, there were games, notably the two against France, in which he provided glimpses of his former self and showed he was still comfortably the most accomplished and influential player the Republic had in the key central-midfield area.

Those are the sort of performances that United will be looking for from the veteran if, as Ferguson suggested yesterday is the case, they are to continue paying him around €135,000 a week for another year or two.

"We admire him greatly and there's every chance he could still be here next year," said the United manager when asked about the player's future.

"I don't think he actually said that (that he wanted to leave)," added Ferguson. "You're trying to make an agenda that's not there."

Keane had actually said he thought a "clean break" might be for the best if there wasn't a new deal on the table but even at the time his suggestion that he could start talking to other clubs as early as January about a move next summer seemed to be aimed, as much as anything, at alerting the suits at Old Trafford to his growing impatience.

Judging by yesterday's events, the comments seem to have had the desired effect.

It is expected that in addition to extending Keane's playing career at the club, Ferguson intends to offer the 34-year-old a coaching role, an important first step for a man who has repeatedly made clear his desire to go into management some day.

It is worth remembering, meanwhile, that this is not the first time Keane has decided to leave the Irish set-up behind him but the tone of Ferguson's comments yesterday about Keane's return to the Ireland fold last year suggests he sees the player's decision this time as both considered and final.

"Roy wanted to go back because there was the possibility he could play for his country in the World Cup," he said. "I agreed with that at the time. It was sensible considering the way he had departed [ the last World Cup] and the fact there was a new regime and he got on well with Brian Kerr. There were a lot of positives about him going back and he did his best."

After 14 years, 66 games and nine goals, then, it appears that one of the country's greatest players - a man who inspired adoration, detestation and a musical set in Roman times - really has graced the international stage for the very last time.