ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:IT'S NOT exactly the standard complaint of an Irish emigrant returning from a working trip across the Atlantic, but Robbie Keane yesterday cited the excessively long holidays in the US as the reason behind his decision to join Aston Villa from LA Galaxy on a two-month loan deal.

The Irish skipper could easily have spent the next while relaxing on a beach, he said, but after the month or so he would always have had for a close season during his career in England, he started to get an itch to be a part of the action again.

Keane could get his wish as early as the weekend in the event his international clearance arrives from Fifa.

Prior to yesterday’s press conference he finally completed the rest of the formalities connected with his temporary switch and, having revealed that he had also had a brief spell back training with Spurs last week, he is firmly in the reckoning to feature in tomorrow’s game against Everton.

“I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to go on loan to be honest, it was sort of 50-50 but the longer I had off . . . it was a little too long in terms of what I’m used to. The three weeks I had will stand to me in good stead when it comes to the Euros but they were enough.

“I’m not foolish enough to think I’m going to just walk into the team here,” said the 31-year-old, “but if I can pass on a little of my experience to the younger players and help the team push on up the table a bit over the couple of months I’m here then I think it can work out well for the both of us.”

The reality is that with Villa still worryingly close to the relegation zone thanks, in no small part to them having one of the lowest tallies of goals scored in the top flight, and the club having agreed to stump up a considerable sum in wages and fees to have the Irishman around until February 25th, he’s likely to find himself involved on the competitive front sooner rather than later.

He will, he admits, have little enough problem settling in.

Villa is the 10th senior club Keane has joined in one form or another and none of the training grounds he has arrived at for the first time can have contained as many familiar faces as Villa’s Bodymoor did at the start of this week.

“I know a lot of people alright,” he said with a smile. “Obviously there’s the Irish players (the likes of Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ireland and Ciarán Clark), they’ve taken over the place but I know the manager too. Then there’s Peter Grant who I know from Celtic and Kevin (MacDonald) from his days in the Irish set up.

“There’s Darren (Bent) too, I’ve played with him for quite a few years and he’s proven what a good player he is with all the goals that he’s scored. If I can add something to his game and the rest of the team then I’ll be happy, and certainly the fact that there’s so many people I know should make it that bit easier.”

The Dubliner said he was happy to be back in the Premier League but played down the various suggestions that there had been a sense of inevitability about him ending up at Villa at some stage in his career. There had been talks about Keane joining the club when he left Wolves for Coventry 13 years ago and the odd approach since while McLeish made a strong bid to land him for Birmingham City 12 months ago.

“Nearly every transfer window there seemed to be talks about me joining Villa and there were talks between clubs on a few occasions although, to be honest, it never actually came that close to happening. I’m delighted to be here now, though.

“I’ve had a great few months with Galaxy and a lot of travelling because of the international games with Ireland and I’m buzzing about this now.”

McLeish emphasised the importance of the “experience” that Keane will bring to his team while Bent described the move as “a top signing, a really clever move. In training Robbie has looked razor-sharp and up for the challenge. He’s a great player and he has been for many years”.

Keane has no desire to return to football in England permanently. “No, I’m quite happy in the MLS, I’ve really enjoyed the three months I’ve had there,” he said. “It’s nice to have both. I’m happy to come back here for a couple of months then look forward to getting back with the Galaxy.”

Guardian Service