Keanes PResence Makes Huge IMpace

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Roy Keane’s presence as the assistant manager at Aston Villa appears to have made a profound impact. Just days after manager Paul Lambert said that it was a pleasure to have the former Manchester United captain assisting him. Now, it is the turn of goalkeeper Shay Given to lavish praise on the former Sunderland manager. After having witnessed Keane from close quarters, Given says that Keane has been giving a lot of advice to the players. This, according to Given, helps them a lot because Keane is someone who has achieved a lot in the game.

Keane appears to have given up on a permanent managerial position as of now. After repeated failures of Sunderland and Ipswich Town, it is understood that he is taking time to rethink about being a manager once again. A potential return in the future cannot be ruled out, as his experiences under Lambert and Gordon Strachan could help him a lot. Apart from being the assistant manager at Villa, Keane is also the assistant to Strachan at the Republic of Ireland national team. Given says that the media perception about the Irishman is very different from what he is as a person.

Over the years, Keane has made several friends and harsh critics of his game and managerial style. “I’ve known Roy for a number of years, obviously with the Irish connections and playing alongside him. It’s great to have him here; he’s a real leader, a character and a great assistant for the manager. He’s a manager himself in his own right – with the two of them at the helm it’s great for the club. He always gets talked about for his dark side and shouting at people but he’s been very helpful for all the players. He’s been out there coaching as well and giving players lots of advice,” said Given.

Ronaldo’s Transfer Threatened By Suarez

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s past few months has seen the Portuguese winger going through some highs and lows as he lifted the Champions League and the Copa del Rey titles with Real Madrid in what was a fairly impressive and successful season that had Carlo Ancelotti going through his debut season in charge of the Spanish club.

The star of Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo later went on turning into the savior for Portugal as he secured a hat-trick during their World Cup qualification match against Sweden. The former Manchester United player made a stunning performance which ensured Portugal’s spot in Brazil as they sneaked a spot in the group stages of the worldwide tournament.

Unfortunately for C.Ronaldo, that would be his last noticeable performance for Portugal as he failed to step up and continue pushing his country any further than the group stages after losing against Germany and only managing to pick up a draw against USA.

Now that Portugal has been knocked out of the 2014 World Cup, C.Ronaldo is enjoying his free time in Brazil before having to kick-off his pre-season schedule with Real Madrid as the Spanish club is looking to sign a few players during the summer transfer window including Luis Suarez which can help Real Madrid on their upcoming journey of snatching the Spanish league title away from Athletic Madrid as well as retaining their Champions League silverware.

The task of signing of Luis Suarez will be a difficult one however as Barcelona is also interested in signing the Uruguayan attacker from Liverpool and the price tag of Suarez is reaching the €80 million mark.

Suarez has been one of the main attacking powerhouses for Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup and even despite his recent behavior incidents; clubs are still interested in signing him and adding him into their squads.

Moutinho Downplays Rumors About Ronaldo Fitness

Cristiano Ronaldo

Petr Cech, Gareth Bale, Isco, Ricardo Kaka, Carlos Tevez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are just some of the high-profile and talented players that will not be participating in the 2014 World Cup either because their respective nations did not manage on qualifying or because they were not named in the list of their nations coaches such as Carlos Tevez.

The latest player who might be joining that list is Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese attacker had to make an early exit from a training session he had with Portugal. The Real Madrid left the training grounds with an ice pack over his left knee as he seemed to be pain and concerned about how serious it might be.

His countryman Joao Moutinho did reveal however that there is nothing to be worried about as he stated that C.Ronaldo has been training with the rest of the team and the ice pack is something that other players in the squad also utilize on regular occasions.

“Ever since he started to train with us he has been 100 percent like the rest of us. Everything is fine with him but there is some caution, not only with him. Today many other players were using ice as well. There is nothing to worry about. The ice is normal after training.” Moutinho revealed.

Ever since Real Madrid played their Champions League finals match against Athletic Madrid, C.Ronaldo has been struggling trying to stay in his peak condition and questions were being raised as to whether or not the Real Madrid star should have even been included in the list of Paulo Bento as one of the players to represent Portugal in the 2014 World Cup.

Portugal first World Cup match is scheduled to be played on June 16 as they face off against Germany.

Ronaldo Key Influence In Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed fears that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could miss the Champions League final on May 24. Real Madrid qualified for the first Champions League final in the last 12 years after managing to beat Bayern Munich 5-0 on aggregate. Ronaldo was a key influence in both legs of the semi-final and he scored two goals. His goal is also helped him to create a new record in the competition, as he becomes the first player to score 15 goals in one single campaign.

However, the 29-year-old has been suffering from several injury problems in the last few weeks, which have caused him to sit out of key matches including the quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund. He was taken off after just 10 minutes against Valladolid last weekend. The match finished in a disappointing 1-1 draw for the club. The latest 2-0 defeat against Celta de Vigo has ended any hopes of winning the title. Now, Madrid will be focusing their full attention on the Champions League final, but the injury situation of Ronaldo proves to be a concern.

Further, Gareth Bale has also missing a large chunk of the last few weeks due to illness. Ancelotti, though, expects both players to be fit for the final.

“[Bale] is not 100%. He got a knock, but I decided not to risk him, especially when I could have put him on. I wanted to avoid any problems. Ronaldo underwent treatment this morning and is almost fully recovered. We have a fortnight to prepare for the match and I think they’ll be completely fit for the final. I think he’ll be able to play against Espanyol [next Saturday],” said Ancelotti. Real Madrid will take on Espanyol in the final game of the league season. A number of players are expected to be rested.