Share

Ireland must be wary of Hazard - Keane

France - Roy Keane says Ireland will need to be wary of Eden Hazard when they meet Belgium in Saturday's European Championship match, despite the winger's disappointing season with Chelsea.

Hazard endured a difficult start to the season, but improved his form dramatically towards the end of the campaign and racked up four goals in his last five league games.

"I don't know what's going on at club level with the guy but he's a talented boy," the Ireland assistant coach told reporters in France.

"But it does happen, players have dips in form. He's still an absolutely dangerous player and he showed a bit of better form before the end of the season for Chelsea. We'll have to keep an eye on him."

The 44-year-old former Manchester United captain has also been impressed by Belgium and United midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who made his bow at the European Championship in Belgium's 2-0 loss to Italy on Monday.

"I like him. I thought the criticism he had when he went to United was a bit over the top," Keane added.

"I saw him a few times live when United weren't great and thought he did okay, but he seemed to be the scapegoat for the fans. We saw him recently scoring some important goals."

Ireland, who opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Sweden, face Italy in their final group stage on June 22.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1818 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE