When Brian Kerr took over as Ireland manager in 2003, one of the main questions surrounding his early days with the team was whether he could convince Roy Keane to come back on board.
The Manchester United midfielder had been in international exile ever since Saipan and it had been clear he would never play under Mick McCarthy again.
However, a new manager hinted at new possibilities.
It took some time before Keane agreed to return. It would be well over a year before he pulled on the green jersey. However, he would go on to play a major part in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Speaking on Virgin Media's 'Brian Kerr - A Life In Football', the second part of which aired last night, the former Ireland boss explained that one of his main prerogatives after taking the job was to bring Keane back into the squad.
I felt it was a clean sheet, to a degree. (Saipan) was nothing to do with me. Yes it involved a group of players that I was inheriting, and I had to be respectful of their positions and how they felt about it, but my role was to put the best side possible out for Ireland and try to win football matches.
Out of that, it was clear to me that I had to talk to Roy and see could I organise to get him back playing for Ireland. He was certainly still one of the best players we could have...
He was great, he was brilliant. He's still a very influential person in Irish football, he has just finished up from being an assistant manager with Martin O'Neill. Every words he says is picked up on, his opinions are highly valued.
Back then it was about his abilities as a player. Once he eventually did come in, it took a while, it was for the game against Romania.
We had a false start where he was due to play in a friendly in Bydgoszcz, in Poland, but on the morning we were about to leave he felt a twinge in his hamstring. He didn't look right and didn't feel right...
There had been this massive build up to his return and now I was going to have to pull the plug on it...
He was back for the qualifiers (later that year). He was brilliant in the group, excellent in training, and he performed on the pitch to the limits of his ability. I was more than happy with that and delighted to be involved with him.
You can watch both parts of the documentary in full here.
Keane played a big part in the subsequent campaign, Ireland would ultimately fall short. However, there was certainly no arguing the fact that Kerr made the right decision in bringing the midfielder back into the fold.
SEE ALSO: The Unfulfilling, Yet Befitting, Game That Ended Roy Keane's Ireland Career
