SOCCER:Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni believes Robbie Keane's return to Tottenham could be good news for the country.

Answering questions from fans on the FAI’s website, the Italian said: “Robbie is a player who thrives on playing regularly. Going to Spurs will give him regular games. That is good for Robbie and it is good for us.”

Trapattoni has made no secret of his admiration for Keane during is time in charge, and indeed, in response to another question, put him in the same bracket as some of the best players with whom he has worked during his distinguished coaching career.

He said: “In my career, I have managed players of great quality like [Michel] Platini and [Zbigniew] Boniek at Juventus, [Nuno] Gomes at Benfica and [Ramon] Diaz at Inter to name just a few.

“To win, you need great champions. Robbie is one in this category. He is a natural captain and of great importance to the whole squad.”

Keane will hope to make a second debut for Tottenham against north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon before joining up with the Ireland squad for their World Cup qualifier against Georgia in Dublin next Wednesday evening.

Hector Cuper’s side come to Croke Park having already lost 2-1 in Mainz last September, but Trapattoni is expecting a much tougher test this time around.

He said: “They [Georgia] will be strong opposition and are not the same team we played last year in Mainz at all.

“Hector Cuper had only just taken on the job when we met last September but since then, they have improved substantially.

“I saw the match they played against Romania in November and they were a very well distributed, well organised side.”