ASTON VILLA MANAGER Alex McLeish has revealed one of the the secrets behind Robbie Keane’s success as a footballer.
McLeish’s Villa are set to take on Arsenal at the weekend, with Keane going head to head with fellow veteran striker Thierry Henry, and McLeish has backed the striker to outshine the Frenchman, highlighting his qualities in the process.
He told reporters how a meeting with Keane’s old boss, Gordon Strachan, gave him an insight into what makes the striker special:
“I had Gordon in this week for lunch and to observe training. He had Robbie at Coventry and he said Robbie’s movement [back then] was terrific.
“He said that he was trying to teach that to other strikers at Coventry, like Darren Huckerby, who did well for him, but it was difficult for them to make the movement that Robbie did.
“Gordon asked Robbie, ‘Who taught you that kind of movement?’ and Robbie told him it was all done playing in the streets.”
McLeish also praised Keane for the positive attitude he has shown since joining the club from LA Galaxy on a two-month loan deal:
“You can see in training that he loves it and wants to be involved all the time. It’s infectious.”
The Villa-Arsenal game kicks off at 4pm tomorrow, with Keane tipped to start.
