The Football Association of Ireland have confirmed that Keane met with Republic manager Brian Kerr and insisted he wanted to play for his country again, and the recently-appointed boss has announced that he will have no problems with the Manchester United skipper returning to the international fold.

"It cannot have been an easy decision for him but his desire to represent his country is immense," said Kerr.

"We met last week and discussed everything about his decision in great detail.

"He had addressed the issue with his club before that meeting and they are aware of his decision to make himself available for international duty with immediate effect."

Keane's last game for his country was a friendly international against Nigeria in May 2002, with the Irish losing 2-1, but this recent and surprising news means that the hard-working midfielder will add to the 58 caps he has already won in the famous green jersey.

Ireland had a dismal qualification campaign for the European Championships, missing out on a place in the finals, and many supporters of the team felt that Keane's absence played a big part in their disappointing season. His return will give Ireland a great chance to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, with their qualification battle kicking-off against Cyprus in September.

There have been questions raised about the way the rest of the Irish team will take the news, but Keane has already recieved messages of support at his decision from fellow Republic of Ireland internationals and officials of the Football Association of Ireland.

"We look forward to Roy Keane playing for Ireland again." said FAI chief executive Frank Rooney.

"It is important that we should have all our top players available for the forthcoming World Cup campaign."

Ireland disappointed in the qualification round for the European Championships, but look a very good outfit who have potential to go on and win honours on the international scene. Roy Keane may only have a couple of years left in him, but his return will be a boost for him, and will mean that our very own John O'Shea will play alongside Keane in the Ireland shirt again.

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