ROY KEANE'S eventful season continued yesterday after he was made captain of the Republic of Ireland team for next month's three match US tour.

Keane becomes the youngest player in modern times to lead the national team following Andy Townsend's decision not to make himself available for the meetings with the US, Mexico and Bolivia.

Liam Brady was just a couple of weeks short of his 25th birthday when he captained the side against England in a European championship game at Wembley. Keane will not be 25 until August.

The move is seen as an attempt to woo the controversial Manchester United midfielder, who incurred some criticism by playing ink only three of 11 games in the last European championship qualifying campaign.

By offering him the captaincy, manager Mick McCarthy has made a public declaration of faith in a player who is seen as the bedrock of the national team for the coming years.

If the appointment is opportunistic, it is also controversial after a sequence of brushes with authority which has earned the Irishman a reputation as one of the fire brands of the game in Britain.

Most of his indiscretions have been perpetrated in the colours of Manchester United, but two months ago, in McCarthy's first game in charge, he was in the headlines again after kicking an opponent in the closing minutes of the 2-0 defeat by Russia. Ironically, he had been given the captain's arm band earlier in the game following Townsend's departure with an injury.

That cost hind a one match suspension he missed the match against the Czech Republic in Prague last month but McCarthy still remains loyal to a player with whom he has always enjoyed a good rapport.

"No manager can condone a player who deliberately kicks another but every manager will understand how players, in the heat of the moment, react to a bad tackle," he said.

"Roy's influence at Manchester United has been enormous and with his highly competitive attitude on the field, he can do a similar job for Ireland.

"Nobody questions his qualities of leadership and now with his injury problems at last a thing of the past, I am certain he can go on to even greater things in the next World Cup campaign."

Keane will be asked to bring his experience to bear on a highly experimental squad in the United States where McCarthy describes the opportunities on offer to younger players as exceptional.

Six of the 20 man squad, Gary Breen, Ian Harte, Gareth Farrelly, Dave Savage, Keith Neill and David Connolly are uncapped while three others, Ken Cunningham, Curtis Fleming and Alan Moore have made just one international appearance.

Breen's inclusion in the squad is significant for it is achieved at the expense of Alan Kernaghan who, for much of the last four years, has provided the cover in central defence. Now with Paul McGrath and Phil Babb both unavailable for the US tour, the incentives are obvious for the young Birmingham player.

Another noteworthy inclusion is Ian Harte, a nephew and club mate of Gary Kelly, who was not among the 25 players originally nominated for the end of season programme.

McCarthy acknowledged yesterday that Stephen Staunton is now unlikely to take any part in the build up after undergoing a dental operation last week.

Staunton, who had earlier asked to be excused from the US games, has not yet made contact with the manager but the expectation is that he will now withdraw from the meetings with Croatia and Holland.

"I'm still waiting for confirmation of Steve's plans but at this point, it seems unlikely that he will be coming to join us," said McCarthy.