Keane Sends His Troops Into Battle!

Butt: "Roy was the most driven player I have played with, and I'm sure he'll have his players well prepared for Saturday.

"I haven't worked under him - I still speak to him a lot - but knowing the person that he is and the person that he was as a player, I'm sure he will be relishing it.

"He enjoyed the aggressive part of the game as everyone knows, and I'm sure he'll be looking forward to the derby.

"Roy prepared for every game the same. He was as intense in training as he was on the pitch. Judging by what the lads who I have spoke to at Sunderland say about him, he is exactly the same as a manager.

"He was the type of player where you looked around the pitch and were delighted he was in your team. But I have never tried to emulate him.

"That's not me. Everyone is an individual, but to have been as successful as he was would be good.

"It was a game I really wanted to be involved in. I have been here four years and I have yet to play in that fixture.

"I would have loved to have played. It's something I had been especially looking forward to because I'm so close to Roy."