Keane insists positive vibes remain in Irish camp

As Ireland prepared for their final training session on Irish soil on Tuesday before jetting off to France for Euro 2016 on Wednesday, a lot of the focus was on the fitness of Robbie Brady and Jonathan Waters, who both sat out training in Abbotstown.

Those fears were soon eased and confirmed by Ireland’s assistant manager Roy Keane, who told the media that although Brady will be fit, Walters is a concern.

“Robbie Brady is fine, he was tempted to train today but with us travelling to France tomorrow he will have another day recovery so today was just precautionary, he’ll be fine.

“The situation with Jon (Walters) isn’t ideal, he done a light jog today. I think he’s feeling better, the medical staff are looking after him. No player likes to miss training but Jon is feeling a lot more positive. We’re probably looking more towards the end of the week, and Jon’s a fit lad anyway, but looking to the Sweden game Jon’s probably our biggest worry.”

With Ireland set to play Sweden in their group opener on Monday, Keane highlighted how Important Brady and Walters have been for Ireland.

“They’re important players for us, they had a big part to play in our qualifying campaign. Jon is a big character for us and Robbie has been excellent on our set plays so we hope they’re ready for the game against Sweden.”

Keane was quick to state that the energy in the group was positive, despite some headlines in recent days suggesting there was unrest in the Irish camp after Keane criticized a number of players following a 2-1 loss to Belarus last week.

“It was a good week. We trained in the heat in Cork which was good for the physical side of it. The players had a day or two off over the weekend to recharge the batteries. We’re flying out tomorrow, we’re getting nearer to the tournament, which had created more energy amongst the group. The squad is finalised, it’s all sorted out and the players have been excellent the last few days and the energy levels are high, so we need to keep that balance in the squad.”

He also stated that he had spoken to some players last week regarding the comments and that there was no problems in the squad.

“I won’t go into detail about personal conversations with players, I’ve done it throughout my career as a player and a manager. I’ve no problem speaking to players or staff if I feel I’ve gone overboard, and I won’t go into detail about that. We’ve moved on and we look forward to next week.”

Keane stressed the importance of getting to France and enjoying the tournament, and admitted the players are eager to get there.

“When we get to France tomorrow we’ll be glad to be there, you feel it’ll be nice to get on the plane and get over there. Then the games start, the tournament is underway and before you know it we’re straight into it, so as much as we’re looking forward to it we have to remind ourselves to enjoy it and get down to business next week, and the players will be ready for it.”