SOCCER:ROBBIE KEANE could be a doubt for the Republic of Ireland's crucial Euro 2012 qualifier at home to Macedonia on March 26th after the striker was ruled out for six weeks with a torn calf muscle.
The West Ham player was forced off after 76 minutes of the 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City on Sunday and subsequently withdrawn from the Nations Cup clash against Wales on Tuesday.
West Ham have now had their fears confirmed and the manager Avram Grant will be deprived of the player who he had hoped would be his talisman in the critical weeks ahead after he secured his services on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season.
Keane had made his debut for the club last week, playing 84 minutes of the 3-1 win at Blackpool, a game in which he scored. The 30-year-old had started only two matches for Tottenham all season and it appears that the two in the space of five days for West Ham has proved too much.
Grant will now select his strikers from Frederic Piquionne, Carlton Cole and January signing Demba Ba for the six-pointer at West Bromwich Albion tomorrow.
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