WHEN ASKED TO explain why he had stated so unequivocally that England would struggle at the 2014 World Cup, the response of Ireland and Aston Villa assistant boss Roy Keane was telling.

“If you look at the squad, they should have done enough to get out of the group,” Keane told reporters. “But a lot of them still lack vital ­experience – whether it’s Champions League experience or big-game experience.

“People are ranting and raving about the younger players, but they still have a lot to do. A lot of them are yet to win a trophy, yet people still expect them to go to the World Cup and get to the quarters or semi-finals.”

These words provide a telling insight into Keane’s footballing philosophy — you can’t win anything with kids, essentially. Of course, those very remarks came back to haunt former Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen. The ex-Liverpool star made the comments during the first day of the 1995-96 season, after a United team featuring young upstarts like Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs had lost 3-1 to an impressive-looking Aston Villa outfit.

However, United went on to win the league that season, and Hansen’s remarks were made to look rather foolish in hindsight. The whole saga was also widely taken as proof that you can, in fact, win plenty with kids.

Nevertheless, looking back at that United team, coupled with its contingent of exceptional youngsters, there was hardly a shortage of experience elsewhere in the squad. Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Brian McClair, Steve Bruce, Eric Cantona, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane, Andy Cole and even Giggs to a degree already all had a considerable degree of Premier League experience behind them and were all fairly prominently involved that season. And indeed, most of those individuals were also heavily involved in at least one of Manchester United’s previous Premier League triumphs.

So perhaps Hansen’s assertion was not as misjudged as some people assume. Perhaps you really can’t win anything with kids, but the Liverpool legend had simply underestimated the degree of experience at United’s disposal.

David Davies David Davies

(Ireland assistant boss Keane works with Given on a daily basis at Aston Villa)

All of which brings us to Shay Given. Media reports today suggest that Given is set for a return to the Ireland set-up.

Any decision on whether Given returns will ultimately be down to Martin O’Neill and not Roy Keane, yet it is hard not to see the latter as having a big influence in orchestrating the move. Given (no pun intended) that he works with the goalkeeper on a daily basis, the Ireland assistant boss will know better than most if he is still able for the demands of international football. Furthermore, Keane’s aforementioned quotes about the English football team are surely applicable to Ireland as well to a degree. Richard Dunne was just the latest in a long line of experienced players to retire from international duty in recent times.

Nevertheless, today’s news — if it is confirmed — will likely prompt cries of indignation from certain sectors of the Irish support. Isn’t Given’s career winding down? Is he not only coming back to the Ireland set-up because of his increasingly peripheral involvement at club level? Surely 38 is old for a footballer, even by goalkeepers’ standards.

In addition, in terms of international experience, the Irish team isn’t exactly deprived of the quality. Aiden McGeady, for instance, has 68 caps, while Glenn Whelan has 58.

Yet if you analyse the crux of those aforementioned Keane comments, it can be inferred that he believes many of the Irish players also still lack big-game experience — a common criticism aimed at O’Neill’s side. Of the current team, few have played in the Champions League, unlike Given. And in a footballing sense at least, the majority of the squad are still ‘kids’.

Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

(Given made 125 appearances for Ireland prior to his post-Euro-2012 retirement)

And should Given return to the fold, it’s doubtful that he will be installed as first-choice goalkeeper. Despite the Donegal native’s successful stint on loan at Middlesbrough last season, both Darren Randolph and David Forde arguably had better seasons than him ultimately.

Yet Keane and O’Neill will probably view Given, more than anything else, as an important voice in the dressing room — someone who has been there and done it, a player that the youngsters will look up to and respect. The fact that Lambert was willing to install him as Villa coach last season amid some well-documented problems at the club suggests he possesses genuine leadership qualities. Moreover, should David Forde pick up an injury during a key qualifier at some stage, would the team rather be relying on a relative rookie or someone with Given’s stature to come off the bench?

Granted, he is past his best at 38, but top players don’t lose their positive characteristics overnight. Brad Friedel is five years older than Given and is still regarded as good enough to be the second-choice goalkeeper for a top Premier League side in Tottenham. 38-year-old Mario Yepes did a more than decent job at the heart of Colombia’s defence at this summer’s World Cup, as did 35-year-old Rafael Marquez for Mexico. So surely Given is capable of featuring in Ireland’s squad and potentially featuring in one last major tournament if he still has the desire to do so. Any suggestions to the contrary ignore Ireland’s current lack of decent alternatives in the goalkeeping position.

What do you think? Would you be happy to see Shay Given return to the Irish set-up?

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