Keane reacts to Gold’s comments over Irish defender

Ian Watson

Roy Keane has responded to David Gold after the West Ham co-owner gave Manuel Pellegrini the target of turning Declan Rice into an England international.

Gold was speaking after the appointment of Pellegrini this week, with the new Hammers boss told to develop 19-year-old defender Rice into a Three Lions star.

“I’m looking forward to the new manager turning Declan Rice into a strong English defender for the future of the England team,” Gold told TalkSPORT.

Rice, though, is already a senior Republic of Ireland international and is currently with Martin O’Neill’s squad for the friendlies against France and USA.

O’Neill’s assistant Keane was asked for his opinion on Gold’s comments.

“It’s going to be pretty difficult if he’s Irish – and he is Irish,” said Keane. “He plays for Ireland. Where else would he want to go, if you had a choice, Ireland or England?

“It’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Ireland.”

Keane and O’Neill will attempt to blood a new tranche of Republic internationals with the Sky Bet Championship play-off final and injuries having blown a hole in their resources to the extent that four uncapped players – Bohemians keeper Shane Supple, Peterborough counterpart Conor O’Malley, Millwall midfielder Shaun Williams and Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke – have been drafted in.

Supple’s presence in the squad is remarkable given that the now 31-year-old went to Keane and asked to terminate his contract at Ipswich after growing disillusioned with the game in 2009.

Keane said: “What I admired about Shane is that he had made his mind up. Sometimes you have to read that situation and there was no point in trying to make it any worse for him.

“You’ve got to admire that. For a young person, it’s a brave decision to step away from a potentially great life living in England and working at the top level – because clearly he’s a talented boy – but he decided it wasn’t for him. I admire him for that.”