The Burnley defender has been called into the England squad to replace Glen Johnson.
Michael Keane of Burnley applauds fans at the end of the game
Burnley defender Michael Keane has seen his promising early season form rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s first England squad, replacing injured Stoke defender Glen Johnson in the Three Lions set up.
The former Manchester United man has played in each of Burnley’s seven Premier League games this season, and got his first top flight goal in the Clarets win over Watford.
Below are five things you may not have known about England’s latest central defensive prospect.
1) He has made the most headed clearances in the Premier League this season
Any centre-half worth their salt needs to be strong in the air, and prior to this weekend Keane led the way in headed clearances with 39, according to this table in the Daily Mail. Bournemouth’s Steve Cook was next with 34, giving Keane a comfortable lead.
Burnley’s Michael Keane in action
2) He left school to get privately tutored
To increase his chances of success with Manchester United, Keane left college and was educated at home. He went on to achieve three C grades at A Level in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
3) His twin brother is also a professional footballer
Keane’s brother, Will, also came through the ranks at Old Trafford but left for Hull City in the summer after loan spells at Wigan, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston.
Preston’s Will Keane in action with Bournemouth’s Baily Cargill
4) He has represented both Ireland and England at youth level
Keane was born in Stockport but has Irish ancestry, and represented the Republic of Ireland at under-17 and under-19 level. He always wanted to play for England, however, and got his first call up to the Three Lions youth set up in 2012. He has since represented England at under-19, under-20 and under-21 level before receiving this call up to the full squad.
5) His last appearance for Manchester United was one to forget
Keane played just five times for the Red Devils, with the last of those appearances coming on a fateful night in Milton Keynes in August 2014. He lined up as part of a youthful back four who were taken apart by their League One opponents, United going down 4-0 to MK Dons in what remains an embarrassing result for everyone involved – not least for Keane, who never featured for the club again.
Keane fell out of favour with Louis van Gaal after a 4-0 defeat at MK Dons
The defender’s fine performances for Burnley since that Milton Keynes nightmare make him more than worthy of international recognition, and Keane’s call up will give hope to other promising young centre halves at unfashionable clubs, such as Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson.
Burnley are justifiably proud of having two men in the national squad – Keane joins Clarets goalkeeper Tom Heaton in the 23-man gathering – and it will be interesting to see if Keane gets any time on the pitch during the games against Malta and Slovenia. If he takes his club form on to the national stage, he should have no trouble making the step up.
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