McLeish ponders Keane swoop

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has hinted that he could make a permanent move for Robbie Keane in the off-season.

Keane will return to LA Galaxy after making his final appearance for Villa at Wigan on Saturday.

The former Tottenham striker has impressed on his return to the Premier League, with three goals in six games, and McLeish believes there is a chance of a deal at the end of the current campaign.

“Who knows? We just need to wait and see what happens between now and then,” McLeish told Sky Sports.

“Robbie’s been a breath of fresh air. He’s a good leader, he’s a talker, and he’s a very good footballer.”

“It’s been great to have him around and, hopefully, some of his influences have rubbed off on some of the younger players.”

“Maybe we’ve forged a relationship now, and I hope Robbie thinks of us first if he’s going to do this again next season.”

McLeish’s side are on a run of four Premier League games without a win but face three sides in the bottom half in their next three games.

Next up is Roberto Martinez’s side, and the former Rangers manager has warned his players that Wigan will go into the game on Saturday expecting a result.

“They’ll be thinking the same thing,” he said. “Wigan had a very good result away at Bolton, so they’ll be buoyed by that. With their home advantage, they’ll feel that if they can get two victories in a row, it can set them up.”

“But we’ve got our own ideas about that, and we would like to target a maximum nine points in the next three games.”