Robbie's Keane on King

Spurs' stand-in skipper wants to hand armband back

Last updated: 22nd February 2008

KING

Keane: Wants King in side

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Robbie Keane has confirmed Ledley King will lift the Carling Cup on Sunday if Tottenham see off Chelsea, regardless of whether he plays.

The classy but injury plagued central defender has not figured for Spurs since the semi-final last month, as the club continue to wrap him in cotton wool following serious knee surgery.

He has, though, been training and Spurs' management are hopefully that he will be ready to figure in the Wembley showpiece against Chelsea.

In King's absence, Keane has worn the captain's armband but the Irishman is more than willing to step aside and allow his team-mate to lift the trophy - should Juande Ramos' side emerge victorious.

"He's the captain, so Ledley will (lift the trophy)," said Keane. "It's as simple as that - 100%.

"He's a born and bred Tottenham fan who came through the ranks. Just because Ledley's had a lot of injuries recently, I've been taking on that role.

"Of course we'd like him to be playing in the game as well, a team with Ledley King is a better team because he's a tremendous player. He leads by example when he plays. He's trained, so he's fit. Hopefully he'll be okay and he's the captain."

Class act

Keane has no doubts about the captain's ability to come back into the team after a month out.

"If you see the games in which he's come back in, it sometimes just looks easy for him," Keane said.

"He's so quick, he glides across the pitch and reads the game really well. He doesn't complicate things. You saw that in the games he played after Christmas.

"He's a fit lad anyway, you know. When he comes in, it's never a problem. When he comes back in, you always feel safe when he's playing."

Meanwhile, King has rubbished reports that he seriously feared for his career during various spells of his recuperation.

"There were rumours flying around but I knew they weren't true," King told the club's official magazine Hotspur.

"Sure, my comeback took a bit longer than I would have liked but there were never any doubts in my mind that I was going to play again."