The Telegraph - 9th November 1998

IN THE over-hyped, over-heated world of modern football, where even the mascots are having dust-ups, it is difficult to know what to believe. But amid all the smoke and confusion, one fact burns brightly: Roy Keane is currently without equal among Premiership players. There are lies, damned lies and sponsors' statistics in football and Manchester United's Irish captain lies only a laughable seventh in Carling's chart of the nation's most influential central midfielders. Jamie Redknapp heads the list followed by Neil Lennon, David Batty, John Collins, Patrick Vieira, Garry Flitcroft and then - at last - Keane. Old Trafford should demand a recount.

Vieira apart, none of these is in Keane's league as an all-action, all-round midfielder, a player capable of construction and destruction, a catalyst as well as a captain. Carrying greater weight is the statistic classifying Keane as the "player with the most successful passes". Others have passed the ball more (Lennon) but none as accurately. A more interesting fact would be to note the time and date Keane last misplaced a pass.

At least the Carling judges have seen sense and voted Keane as Player of the Month for October. At 27, the Republic of Ireland captain is arguably a better player now than before the horrendous knee-ligament injury sustained during that highly unnecessary lunge at Alf-Inge Haaland last season. Keane always had the talent; it was just that on occasion his volatile temperament let him and United down. On this season's evidence to date, his infamous fuse has become longer.

Maybe Keane has changed. Maybe, as he worked furiously to rebuild his knee and fitness, he thought about the prospect of life without football. Maybe his hair-trigger will reappear, but, as of now, as he wins the ball and uses it unfussily, cool-hand Keane deserves his award.

It is the nature of the elite midfield beast that he is rarely a creature of complete Corinthian conduct. Graeme Souness, so often so sublime in possession, could mix it with the dirtiest. Paul Ince's wearisome indiscipline should not mask his undoubted footballing prowess. Keane, clearly, is trying to retain that competitive edge without the dark side. At last, he is behaving like a captain.

The full nature of Keane's versatility has been seen this season. His movement alters according to the identity of his midfield partner. United have learned from that coruscating counter-attack in Turin when Juventus poured through an untended central midfield; now they always ensure one central midfielder sits in.

When Nicky Butt, a midfielder in the holding, ball-winning mould, plays alongside Keane, the Irishman can charge upfield. But the increasing inclusion of Paul Scholes, a more attack-minded spirit than Butt, has inevitably meant Keane holding the fort. With a new central-defensive partnership in Gary Neville and Jaap Stam, United need Keane's shielding presence.

Gary Lineker has argued cogently that Keane should be used in central defence. Although Keane remains a vital force in midfield, a first base for United moves, Lineker's suggestion contains one very obvious truth: Keane would make an outstanding centre-half. Tall, commanding, good in the tackle and quick on his feet, he also distributes the ball well.

When United reshuffled against Newcastle on Sunday, Keane dropped in alongside Stam and immediately fitted out Shearer in a made-to-measure strait-jacket. Two balls played into Shearer were intercepted by Keane with a towering header and a thumping tackle.

Almost a third of the way through the season, Keane is making an impressive case for Player of the Year. But more testing times lie ahead. In the period during which Keane earned his award, United faced decent but hardly trail-blazing opposition. Forthcoming fixtures against Barcelona (away), Leeds United (home), Aston Villa (away) and Bayern Munich (home) will provide a truer analysis of his stature. He looks ready for the challenge.