King declines to release Keane back to Galaxy

Interim Ireland manager Noel King has declined a request from LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena to allow captain Robbie Keane return to California.

Keane sat out training in Malahide this morning before joining the squad on a flight to Germany. The 33-year-old Galaxy frontman watched from the sidelines after taking a kick to the ankle.

Goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly later said management were optimistic he will be involved in Friday night's Group C encounter with Germany in Cologne.

“Hopefully, we will see how it goes,” he said. “We have got to fly out there now and it is being monitored and we will make that assessment come Thursday and Friday.”

Former US manager Arena had already requested that the FAI allow Keane to return to LA after the Germany game and before Ireland meet Kazakhstan in Dublin on Tuesday, but King has chosen not to do so.

“The Football Association of Ireland today confirmed that Noel King has responded this afternoon to the manager of LA Galaxy Bruce Arena to inform him that he has decided not to release Robbie Keane and trusts that he understands the position, having been an international manager himself.,” a statement read.

“Bruce Arena had requested that the release of Robbie Keane be considered after the Germany match and before the international match against Kazakhstan in Dublin on October 15th.”

Ireland have little or no hope of qualifying for World Cup 2014 and would require maximum points and favourable results elsewhere over the next week for that to change.

Arena, therefore, may well have been hoping for some reciprocation of the favour he did Keane and the FAI when releasing the Dubliner for the May friendly against England at Wembley.

King, of course, owed him nothing on that count.

He and high performance director Ruud Dokter took training at Malahide this morning.

The latter and former international Ray Houghton have been tasked with finding a long-term replacement for 74-year-old Italian Giovanni Trapattoni, who parted company with Ireland last month after five-and-a-half years in charge.

King will lead Ireland for the remainder of the campaign, at least, but he is not a contender for the role, which Dokter says has generated “a lot of interest”.

This morning, the Dutchman said: “We are doing it together. There has been a lot of interest and yes, we have talked to some people, and that’s actually all I want to say about it because it’s an ongoing process.”

Asked if that process could take some time, Dokter replied: “Yes.”

Martin O'Neill was swiftly installed as the bookmakers' favourite even before Trapattoni's departure, while former manager Mick McCarthy and his captain Roy Keane have also been tipped to take over. Gerard Houllier's odds also tumbled this week as the search continued, but there is no immediate urgency, with Ireland's hopes of making it to Brazil next summer all but over and the new qualifying campaign not due to start until September next year.

Asked what qualities he and Houghton were looking for in Trapattoni’s replacement, Dokter added: “A good manager for the senior team. That’s all I want to say about it.”