Sunderland boss Keane targets Sydney star Yorke.
By: tribalfooball.com.[/size]
Sunderland boss Roy Keane is moving for Sydney FC captain and former Manchester United teammate Dwight Yorke. Keane is set to go for Yorke today with less than 48 hours left before the summer transfer window shuts. Yorke wants a return to England after a spell at Sydney and Keane believes his ex-Manchester United team-mate's experience will be an asset.
The pair often fell out at United over Yorke's laid-back attitude. But former striker Yorke, 34, starred as a midfield grafter for Trinidad & Tobago at the World Cup. And a source close to Keane told The Sun: "If Roy can work for Niall Quinn - who he once called "a muppet" - he can bury the hatchet with Yorkie as well."
Boss calms talk of Yorke quitting.
By: Michael Cockerill (Sydney Herald).[/size]
Sydney FC coach Terry Butcher last night played down suggestions that star signing Dwight Yorke was about to board a plane to return to English football before the transfer deadline expires in the next 48 hours.
Some sources suggest Yorke has had three offers to return to England - including one from his first club, Aston Villa, and another from Championship strugglers Sunderland, where his former Manchester United teammate Roy Keane has just taken over as manager.
Yorke, 34, is contracted to Sydney FC until the end of the season, but during the recent off-season was continually linked with a return to England, where his son lives. At the launch of the A-League last week, Yorke said he "didn't know where the rumours have come from", but in the past 24 hours the speculation has intensified. Yorke was unavailable for comment last night.
Butcher admitted he had heard the rumours, but after Yorke trained with the team at Moore Park yesterday afternoon, the coach said: "He hasn't indicated or said anything to us. He's contracted for the rest of the season, and we believe he's going to stay to help us retain the championship.
"Obviously, in this day and age, you don't have to be in a country to sign a contract, and there's always agents involved. But as far as I'm concerned the only plane he's getting on is the one down to Melbourne with the rest of the lads this weekend. We've certainly trained with him as part of our plans."
Keane, a teammate of Yorke's when Manchester United won the European Cup in 1999, signed a three-year contract to be Sunderland's new manager on Monday, just minutes after he watched the Black Cats beat West Brom 2-0.
Niall Quinn, who began the season as Sunderland's chairman-manager, remains the team's chairman and was responsible for landing Keane, who has no prior managerial experience.
At United, Keane criticised teammates for not playing hard enough. He also had a feud with Quinn, once calling his fellow Irishman a "muppet". Asked about it, Quinn said: "The only thing I would say is that chairman and managers row. We just got ours out of the way earlier."
