Keane bows to medical opinion
Monday, June 12, 2006
Article summary
Celtic FC's 34-year-old midfielder Roy Keane has been forced to retire from football after taking medical advice on his long-standing hip injury.
Article body
Celtic FC midfielder Roy Keane has retired from football on medical advice six months after leaving Manchester United FC and moving to Scotland.
'My only option'
The 34-year-old former Republic of Ireland international has suffered from a hip injury for a number of years and announced his decision to hang up his boots this morning, telling Celtic's official website: "Having received medical advice from my surgeon and the Celtic doctor, I feel my only option is to retire." Keane was a massive presence in 13 seasons at United, winning seven Premiership titles, four FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 1998/99, although he missed the final victory against FC Bayern München through suspension. He won a league and Scottish League Cup double with Celtic this season having moved to Glasgow in December.
'One of the greatest'
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said: "Roy Keane is one of the greatest ever players to grace the game of football. It was fantastic that we were able to bring him to Celtic and it has been a privilege to work with him. Even in his short time with the club, Roy made a great contribution." Keane started his career in the Republic of Ireland with Cobh Ramblers FC before spending three seasons at Nottingham Forest FC. He made 67 appearances for the Ireland national team, scoring eight goals.
