www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/michael-keane-interview-manchester-united-wanted-me-back-but-i-wasnt-that-big-a-fan-of-the-club-any-more-bxx8zhrdwAfter all the weeks of deliberation, the hours spent mulling over advice and weighing up the pros and cons, Michael Keane could offer a sliver of consolation to those who had hoped that a return to Manchester United would prove a formality this summer.
José Mourinho had shown a strong interest in signing the centre half as he plotted his next round of reinforcements and, for Keane, who had only left Old Trafford for Burnley three years earlier, all manner of tempting possibilities abounded. There was the lure of going home, the appeal of the Champions League and perhaps the chance to fulfil, at the second attempt, all of the dreams that he harboured as a youngster.
Yet, when it came down to making a final decision, he opted for something new. Keane chose Everton, the Europa League and continuing his education elsewhere. He will be back at Old Trafford tomorrow, hoping to end a tortuous week on a more upbeat note, although one undisputable fact should avoid any festering disappointment among his family and friends.
“They [United] were in touch with my agent and showed a lot of interest,” Keane says. “They wanted me, but a few things happened and I thought Everton would be the best place for me to come. I thought I would get a lot of game time here, more than I possibly would at Manchester United, and that was a massive factor in my decision.
“To be honest, having been at Burnley for three years, I wasn’t a fan of the club like I used to be. I wasn’t as big a fan of Man United as I had been, so I had to sort of put that to one side and just think rationally about what would be best for me as a footballer.
“My family are all Man United fans so it was not an easy decision. My dad would have been delighted if I had signed for United. But he is glad I have come to Everton and not Liverpool, put it that way.”
The quip offers a light-hearted interlude to what had been a complex conundrum. Keane’s priority was playing time given his aspirations with England before a looming World Cup. When it became apparent that United were also signing Victor Lindelof from Benfica for £30 million this summer to complement Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, the appeal of retracing his path seemingly diminished.
Keane accepts that there will be those who scratch their head and wonder why he did not back himself, but his career has gained momentum on a diet of first-team football since leaving United so the possibility of having his appearances rationed again was always going to jar.
That he had the strength of character to follow a vision should be of little surprise and he is determined that neither leaving United nor rejecting a return, will define him. “Of course [people will question it],” says Keane, who has played every minute for Everton this season. “United are one of the biggest clubs in the world and it is not an easy decision to make.
“I thought about it all throughout the summer and a bit longer. I spoke to my family, friends, agent, I got advice from people I used to work with at United. Loads of different people.
“In the end, I came to the decision of joining Everton and I am thankful I did that because it is going to be the best thing for me in the long run.
“We have had games where we’ve played well and a few games where it hasn’t gone so well. But I am young and learning and that is going to be good for me. While they [defeats] are not enjoyable, you go through them and learn and it will make me a better player.
“You have to look at what is right for you as a person. I have done that throughout my career. When I went to Burnley, they wanted me on a permanent [transfer] straight away, I didn’t want that to happen because I wasn’t sure it was the right move for me at the time, so I went there on loan.
“Then I learnt to love the club because I was playing week in, week out so I decided that was the best place for me to go permanently.
“I have had a few moments in my career where I have made big decisions. When I was younger I was only a part-time scholar at United, so I quit school and went full time.
“I was 17. The first year of my scholarship I did my A levels at college and would come in a few nights-a-week training with the under-18s and sometimes playing with the under-16s at the weekend. I was playing a year below.
“The next pre-season, I was in every day because it was the summer holidays and I was doing really well. I felt like I was really improving and I felt like I was one of the best players in the team in pre-season.
“I felt that, if I had gone back to school, I would have lost my place in the team because there were lads who were training every day and that might have hindered my development. It was Youth Cup year. I went back to school for three days but just decided I was going to quit and go full-time football.
“I continued my A levels and I got tutored at home and I did my exams at the end of the year, but I trained every day, played every game in the Youth Cup and won the Youth Cup [in 2011]. From there I kicked on in the reserves.
“That was a massive decision looking back. I am quite stubborn really. Once I make a decision, I am determined to make it work.”
At 24, Everton represents a step up for Keane — the kind of move that Rio Ferdinand, his former team-mate and confidant from whom he always seeks advice, made when moving to Leeds United from West Ham United at the age of 21. If Keane makes the most of the opportunity, the elite will still beckon. Recent results suggest that propelling Ronald Koeman’s squad into that stratosphere will not be easy, with Thursday’s shambolic 3-0 defeat away to Atalanta in the Europa League another brutal reality check.
Two days after last Saturday’s chastening 3-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, Keane attended an event as part of Everton’s lauded community work. He has become an ambassador for the development arm of the club’s charity, which delivers a variety of Premier League-funded sporting opportunities across Merseyside, and quickly immersed himself in a game of tag and handball with schoolchildren.
Keane, thoughtful and unerringly polite, admits that his interest has been piqued in possibly setting up his own foundation in the future.
“It is something that I will look to do myself in the next few years,” he says. “I saw at Burnley, with Danny Ings setting up a disability project, just how well that has taken off. It must be really rewarding to see the work that goes on if you are really, really involved.
“Just doing these visits to schools every month or so gives us a buzz as well. I can remember what I was like when I was seven or eight years old and, if I was at a school and a Premier League footballer came to it, then that would make my week.”
The session had served as an antidote to the vitriol which greeted the defeat by Tottenham. There is heightened expectation given Koeman’s £145 million summer spending spree, of which the defender was a £30 million part, and the boos that reverberated around Goodison Park at half-time served as a stark indication of what the prevailing mood will be like if targets are not reached.
Events in Italy have added to the scrutiny and he is not escaping its glare. Everton was, in many respects, far from the easy choice. Would there have been a similar chorus of disapproval at Burnley?
“No, but that is nothing against the fans,” Keane says. “That shows the size of the club. We don’t need the fans to boo to know ourselves. Obviously it is up to them whether they do it, but we knew it wasn’t good enough.”
Keane’s honesty in recognising that he dipped below expectations highlights a willingness to improve. Koeman recently declared that he can become one of the best defenders in the country and is taking a hands-on role in ensuring that his prophecy bears fruit.
“He has pulled me into the office a few times, given me advice and tips,” Keane continues. “He has all the experience in the world and was one of the best centre halves ever and so you listen to him.
“It can be just talking or on a video screen or tactics board. It depends what the point is he is trying to make.
“There is a different style of play coming to Everton from Burnley. Say I was playing for Burnley, and then England the next week, you go from playing more direct football to passing football. It is not easy.
“Playing for Everton will help me with the consistency. Doing it in training every day, the more you do things, the better you become. It is as simple as that. I have always been comfortable in possession of the ball but, first and foremost, I have to be a good defender. But I don’t see why you have to be either a good defender or good on the ball. There is no reason why you cannot be both and that is my aim.
“Sean Dyche was a more defensive centre half and has brought that side out of my career. Now Ronald Koeman was a more attacking centre half, so [now there will be] more passing out from the back. If you mix the two, you will have a good centre half, so hopefully I can learn a lot more.”
But back to United. At some point tonight, Keane will settle in front of his computer and begin preparations to shackle Romelu Lukaku, aware of the need to do the dirty work before trying to show that he can build from the back.
“I look at little videos and YouTube clips, watch his goals, typical movements, what he is like with his right foot, left foot what he is like in the air,” he adds.
He could have saved himself the bother, but Keane is happy with the path that he has taken.
