“He used to do things which were just incredible.”
They’ll be on opposite sides tomorrow, but Gordon Strachan is a big fan of Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane. The Scotland manager, who signed an 18 year old Keane for Coventry in 1999, says he’s the best young player he ever worked with, and he was amazed by the Dubliner’s talent.
“He used to do things which were just incredible,” Strachan said. “He’d do things I’d been trying to teach kids for two or three years. He did this thing where he’d come in for the ball and then spin in behind. After watching him do it a couple of times, I said to him: ‘Who taught you how to do that?’ thinking it must have been a youth team coach. But he said: ‘Nobody’. I was like ‘okay, right, good.’ Well done to the Academy!”
“I just thought he was wonderful to watch.”
The respect between the pair is mutual, as Keane has said in the past that Strachan was the best manager he ever worked with, high praise considering Keane played under managers such as Marcello Lippi, Martin O’Neill and Steve Staunton.
Coventry paid Wolves £6 million for Keane, a then record fee for a teenager, and a move some, including Alex Ferguson, questioned. The former Manchester United manager said Keane was only worth about £500,000, but within a year the forward had signed for Inter Milan for £13 million.
Strachan was quickly convinced Keane was worth the expensive outlay. “I just thought he was wonderful to watch. I remember (Coventry defender) Paul Williams laughing one day when Robbie stuck his mate, Richard Shaw, on his backside. Willo was laughing so much we had to stop the game, it was just fantastic. The boy just had so much natural ability.”
If Keane could just roll back the years and get one over his old pal tomorrow that’d be great.
H/T The Scotsman.
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