Blade leaves its mark on Keane
Daniel Taylor and Dominic Fifield
The tackle which could signal the end of Roy Keane's international career was, Manchester United believe, courtesy of Liverpool's Peter Crouch and not Luis Garcia's sliding challenge.
X-rays of Keane's third metatarsal bone indicate, United manager Alex Ferguson believes, it was broken by the sort of bladed boot that many clubs have outlawed and that have even prompted an investigation by BBC's Watchdog team.
It was widely thought the Garcia challenge had caused the injury, but United claim it was Crouch landing on the top of Keane's foot after an aerial challenge.
"It's something we feel very strongly about," said Ferguson. "We banned blades a year ago, as most clubs have, and we have got pictures around the training ground of the serious injuries they can cause. Yet Roy's X-ray clearly shows the impression of a blade where the injury is."
Liverpool would not say what type of boot Crouch was wearing.
United's chances of providing serious competition to Chelsea's Premiership hegemony are in danger of being seriously undermined by their injury list after Gary Neville was also ruled out until mid-November yesterday. The full back will miss the next six weeks, possibly longer, after undergoing a groin operation that will also have repercussions for Sven-Goran Eriksson and England.
While Ferguson was coming to terms with the absence of seven senior players, Eriksson was digesting the news that he will be without one of his sturdiest defenders for England's remaining World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Poland next month. England have to win both matches to qualify automatically and there are no guarantees Neville will be available for the play-offs on November 12th and 16th.
Luke Young, the Charlton full back, will almost certainly deputise for Neville in the England team, having filled the role against Wales and Northern Ireland this month, and Kieran Richardson could be given an extended run in the United side.
Neville had initially hoped to be fit for today's game against Blackburn and Ferguson had intended to switch John O'Shea to left back in place of the injured Gabriel Heinze. Instead, O'Shea will continue in Neville's position and Richardson will be virtually unchallenged at left back because Quinton Fortune has suffered a set-back in his recovery from a knee operation and will not be back for at least three weeks.
Ferguson told a supporters' function recently he wanted to strengthen the squad when the transfer window reopens in January and the sudden spate of injuries will have reinforced that view. Neville damaged his groin in the Champions League qualifier against Debrecen a month ago and broke down in training with the same problem.
"We decided, for his long-term good, that it was best for him to have an operation," said Ferguson, who tried to sign the Brazilian right-back Cicinho in the summer. "The idea is that if we get it sorted out now he will have a clear run to the end of the season when he comes back."
Ferguson's concerns are well placed given that Heinze could miss the entire season with his knee injury and Keane will be out for two months. Fortune, Wes Brown, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have yet to kick a ball this season and, as well as losing the versatility of Phil Neville, United have loaned out a further 10 players. Richardson, a left-winger by trade, coped admirably at Liverpool on Sunday, but Ferguson will be aware that he cannot go on relying on such a makeshift defence.
Meanwhile, Phil Neville has launched a scathing attack on Arsenal, claiming Arsene Wenger's players must "have it written in their contracts that you are not allowed to tackle them" after Robert Pires accused the England midfielder of deliberately attempting to injure him during Everton's defeat at Highbury this week.
Pires hobbled off within the opening half-hour of the Gunners' 2-0 victory on Monday after sustaining a dead leg in a challenge with Neville, who was not booked in the incident.
The France international later alleged his opponent "made the tackle to catch me, and he did", though Neville yesterday insisted Arsenal's outrage had merely been an ill-conceived attempt to deflect attention from Robin van Persie's sending-off for a raised boot against FC Thun a few days earlier.
"Those comments didn't surprise me one little bit - some clubs have different agendas," said Neville. "I make a tackle, win the ball, the referee doesn't give a foul, I don't get booked and all of a sudden I'm a thug. (Five) days before, one of their players nearly takes someone's head off and they are pleading innocence. How many times over the years have we seen that from Arsene Wenger and Arsenal?
"When you play Arsenal, you know you are playing a great team with great players. Robert Pires is an absolutely fantastic player who has put in some unbelievable performances . . . but in English football, you have got to tackle. Sometimes when you play against these type of players, it's as if they have it in their contracts that you are not allowed to tackle them. Well, Everton's strength and my strength is tackling and it may be a more British type of game.
"You can't sit off against Arsenal and let them play because they'll kill you. My job is to tackle and over the years - apart from against Fulham this season - I've never been sent off. That suggests I'm not a dirty player so for him to say that I deliberately went out to 'do him' was, to be honest, insulting.
"Wenger will defend his players like David Moyes defended me. You defend your own, but sometimes it has to have a bit of realism and honesty about it."
Guardian Service
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