Keane determined to stay in Premier League

REPUBLIC OF Ireland captain Robbie Keane has targeted playing his club football at the top level for at least another couple of years if, as expected, he is sold by Tottenham during the summer.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference yesterday prior to heading off to meet US President Barack Obama at an official function, the 30-year-old admitted to being unsure where he will be playing his football next season, but said he remains determined at this stage to be playing in the English Premier League again.

“I’ve only a year to go (at Tottenham) so they might want to do a bit of business on me,” he said after ruling out a move to the United States.

“I’m not getting any younger either, but I’ll take a break, go back there and see what happens. I’ve only got a couple of years left so I’ll go back and try to make the most of it.

“Definitely (move to) a Premier League club if I can,” he added, “although as a player you don’t always control these things. At the moment I’m a Tottenham player so they’ll have a big say too, but I’d like to get the next couple of years in the Premier League and then look at where I’m at.”

Asked if he would continue to play international football beyond the 2012 European Championships, he said that he would make a decision on things then.

“If I’m still enjoying my football and playing at a fairly high level then there’s no reason why I should retire.”