Roy Keane: Maybe Everton need to look at their own training schedule

Roy Keane insists he does not care what Everton boss Ronald Koeman thinks amid a major spat over midfielder James McCarthy.

The 25-year-old midfielder has unwittingly found himself at the centre of a club v country wrangle with club boss Koeman accusing Republic of Ireland counterpart Martin O’Neill of “overloading” him last month and O’Neill telling the Dutchman to stop “bleating”.

McCarthy will play no part in Ireland’s World Cup qualifier in Austria on Saturday because of a hamstring problem, but assistant manager Keane has waded into the row in inimitable fashion.

He said: “Darron Gibson is Irish and Gibbo misses lots of games for Everton, a hell of a lot of games. He seems to get injured a lot at Everton, so maybe they need to look at their own training schedule.

“Koeman’s opinions, there are no issues with me. I couldn’t care less, to be honest with you.”

 

As a former club manager himself, Keane understands Koeman’s concerns, but is not happy with his stance, one which mirrors that of predecessor Roberto Martinez.

The former Manchester United skipper said: “We have had a problem previously with Martinez – I think he was slightly over the top.

“Every time, we felt, the Everton players were turning up – and this is not a criticism of the players, this is more from Everton and their staff – they were always carrying knocks.

“I always felt the Everton players were going to turn up on crutches or crawling in the hotel door, and now it looks like we are probably going to have that issue again with Koeman. I hope not.

“I don’t think we could be any fairer to the clubs, and I mean that. The medical staff here are always looking out for what’s right for the player.

“As much as sometimes we think, ‘Can we push him?’, if anything they go the other way, and rightly so because they are medical people and they have got to look after the player’s welfare where from a selfish point of view, we’ll be saying, ‘Listen, is he fit?’ or whatever.

“But it’s not just about James McCarthy, and it goes on with every country and every club. I’ve experienced that myself as a player – managers will be reluctant for lads to go away if they are carrying knocks. That’s the nature of the game we are in.

“It’s nothing new and it will continue to happen.”