Yorke: Keane can be like Sir Alex
icc.Newcastle.co.uk
Dwight Yorke believes Roy Keane has already shown the managerial talent to go on and emulate his long-time mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.
And veteran Yorke is vowing to play on for another two years to help his former Manchester United team-mate realise that destiny.
But he admits he still doesn't know the man behind Keane the manager.
Yorke lifted the treble under Ferguson in 1999 and was a key factor in the dramatic turnaround that saw Sunderland win the Championship last season.
And the Trinidadian, who is convinced he can play in the Premiership until 2009, is convinced Keane is developing the traits that have marked Ferguson as a legend.
"Roy is proving a top-drawer manager," said Yorke. "Only time will tell how good he can become. What he has brought to the table, his way of thinking and what he is trying to do to progress this club has impressed everyone.
"I see a lot of Sir Alex in him. Roy Keane is his own man, but he has taken some of the great man with him into management.
"He has learned from him. You can see that in the way he deals with situations. You can see similarities between them. As a player, you don't want to cross either of them.
"They are winners. They expect to win."
Yorke added: "Was Roy the most driven player I ever played with? Definitely, even in training. He could give you it like never before and you would think: `It's only training.' But he would say: `If you train well, you'll play well.'
"You might not be doing it and he would still be driving away at you. He would have a moan - he was a great moaner - but with good reason.
"When you look back now you realise it was all to do with bettering yourself. He has instilled that same attitude here at Sunderland now that he is a manager.
"It doesn't matter what it is - five-a-side, table tennis or golf - you must want to win everything. That is what he is trying to instill into the players here.
"And you can see them changing because of what he is asking them to do. He has their respect."
Now, Yorke - Keane's first signing - is bidding to win the Sunderland boss's respect all over again as he looks to prove himself worthy of a place in the Premiership in his mid-30s.
"I am 35. There's no two ways about that," said Yorke. "But I keep myself in shape. He knows exactly what I do. I don't have to go bragging about it.
"People know how seriously I take my football. I might have a laugh and the odd day out, but it is about football. I take it seriously.
"I would say I have two years left. I'm back in the Premiership. It's where I belong. I have spent most of my career here."
But Yorke confessed: "I don't really think I got to know Roy Keane as a player. You would socialise off the park but he never got quite close. "People say you must be big mates, but we're not. He has always kept his distance at a certain level.
"Don't get me wrong, if he likes you, he asks you for a drink sometimes. If he doesn't, there's no problem with him. You just press on the same way.
"We just have an acquaintance, a kind of mutual respect. I have a lot of respect for him. He really is top drawer."
