Roy Keane has no World Cup regrets

While fans around the world have loved the World Cup, Roy Keane has no regrets about his decision not to go to Brazil.

Keane could have been on the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro working alongside Gordon Strachan and Co. for ITV. But he turned his back on punditry just before the World Cup for a return to full-time football.

The former Manchester United captain starts his new job tomorrow as assistant to Aston Villa manager, Paul Lambert. He will combine his duties with the Midlands club with being No.2 to Martin O’Neill for the Republic of Ireland.

He could have become the new Celtic manager instead, but he turned it down because he didn’t want to give up on his international commitments.

Keane has become a cult figure in his time as a TV pundit. He quickly became known for speaking his mind and coming away with some withering comments which were every bit as hard as some of his tackles. Those views have been missed in Brazil, but the Irishman now wants to concentrate on coaching.

He jokingly admits that his family were desperate for him to be away for a month. But just like his playing days at Old Trafford, Keane could not countenance half-measures.

“I enjoyed working with ITV,” he says. “It kept me busy and I got to some good matches. But I just felt my time had come. Having got back with the Irish team, sometimes I felt a bit awkward doing one or two matches where there were Irish players involved. At times there was maybe a bit of conflict.

“I didn’t want any compromise regarding my role in football. You’re either a pundit or you’re not. The half-measures were not working for me.

“I was fine when I wasn’t involved, but when I started the role with Ireland last November, it began to chip away at me. I don’t think I would have been tip-toeing around people but it could have been awkward. And I didn’t want that issue.

“I might go back into it in future, but I won’t be compromising that with working for Ireland or full-time at club level.”

In one of his final pieces of punditry, Keane had predicted England would struggle in Brazil. But even he was surprised to see Roy Hodgson’s side finish bottom of their group.

“England should still have got out of the group,” he reasons. “But I look at the group of players and a lot of them lack that vital big-game experience.

“They hadn’t won a trophy, but people were expecting them to go to the World Cup and get to the quarters or the semi-finals.

“That said, if you had told me four or five weeks ago after Ireland had played them that Costa Rica would win that group, I would have said you were mad.”

That’s something you would never contemplate saying to Keane!