Roy Keane says striker Pablo Couñago will not be in the squad for Saturday’s game at Middlesbrough. The Spaniard has spent much of pre-season in the reserves and was only a sub in Tuesday’s friendly with a Spurs XI.

The Blues boss confirmed that the 30-year-old isn’t injured but says he won’t travel to Teesside: “Pablo won’t be involved this weekend.”

Keane says he assesses players on what he sees from them in games and at Playford Road: “[I judge them] from what I see on the training pitch every day and what I see in matches. I judge my players on what I see on the training pitch.

“Players’ attitudes, desire to do well, hunger to train, passion for the game, heart, so he won’t be involved this weekend.”

Former Spain U21 international Couñago is understood to be a target of former Blues boss George Burley at Crystal Palace.

Meanwhile, Keane has revealed that Connor Wickham could be back slightly sooner than the six weeks initially expected when he picked up his ankle injury in training: “I’ve always worked along the lines that if someone says six or seven weeks I knock a week off that, particularly with a young boy.”

The Blues boss says the England U17 international is on holiday at present: “Connor’s away at the moment with his parents in Spain having a week off. Hopefully when he comes back from there with a bit of a tan, feeling better in himself and having had a bit of salt water on his foot, we may be able to knock a week or two off that, without being daft.”

Photo: Action Images

claydon_blue added 10:18 - Aug 6 Oh so all off a sudden Connor Wickham will be back playing soon then
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paristractor added 10:19 - Aug 6 poor old pabs
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Karlosfandangal added 10:24 - Aug 6 I Like Pabs but have felt for sometime that his heart was not in it, I am afraid its time to move on and free up another 12k a week. so we can put it towards a player who wants to play for us. I dont care if he like Keane or not but for the money they are paid and the privilage posyion they are in, they should give a 100%
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tom_the_blue added 10:31 - Aug 6 If we can get rid of him and free up some more wages, then surely we'll be able to afford a couple of good strikers. If this is he case, then SELL SELL SELL.
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Blue_Square added 10:34 - Aug 6 Oh, but I presume Lee Martin will make the squad, for all the quality he's shown this pre season..!? A distinct lack of strikers avaliable to us - so we leave one at home the day before. Great move. 3-0 to Boro tomorrow, we'll get off as proping up the table come Saturday evening.
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salforduniblue added 10:35 - Aug 6 Looks like Pabs is being "Joe Royled" again ... Shame, always liked him, but I guess this really could be the end. Good luck with Ipswich Reserves down at Selhurst Park, if you do indeed go there Pabs.
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fatuncle added 10:35 - Aug 6 Karlos i think you are wrong where is the motivation when you know your boss doesn't want you from day one, i have seen no more pleasure in a player than his goal against coventry last season that was an up yours Keane celebration!
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tractorboybig added 10:37 - Aug 6 true to form. one thing keane dont understand is skill. just take the irish sunderland 3rd eleven cloggers with you. this team stand more chance of going to mars than beating boro.
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BlueGoonie added 10:40 - Aug 6 For all his guff and back heels and nice guy that he is, he's had his chances and isn't a player who's going to tear this league up. He goes with our thanks and best wishes, and will no doubt get a few OLE's when he returns to PR with Palace. More wages off the books and more squad trimming, now time to add some REAL quality.
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Seasonticketsteve added 10:41 - Aug 6 Might be linked with the Crystal Palace story, perhaps he is not in the squad as he is in talks about a possible move???
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reusersfreekicks added 10:42 - Aug 6 Well that's getting the best out of a good player! He has not liked him from day 1 and it's the club that suffers
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bleedblue added 10:43 - Aug 6 Mistake
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tom_the_blue added 10:43 - Aug 6 tractorboybig- you couldnt be more wrong. Keane fully appreciates players skill, indeed in his autobiography there is a whole couple of pages where he says how brilliant he thinks Cantona is. I think what Keane doesnt like is players who dont work hard, and unfortunatly Pabs falls into this category.
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Monkey_Blue added 10:44 - Aug 6 Keane unfortunatley thinks that everyone should have the same mentality as he did, he wants players who are very intense all week...thats simply not how most people are, including great players. Its keanes lack of tollerance of different personalities or lack of understanding of them that is key to his abysmal man management skills. If a player is not motivated in part thats the managers job and so in part his fault...keane certainly didn't seem to motivate the players last season. He also has to understand that the players will be friends and their sympathies will more than likely be with the player not him.

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HadleighBlueBoy added 10:47 - Aug 6 Unfortunately Pablo is yet another Town player from the last few years who has rarely played at his full potential. In short he is a luxury we can no longer afford. I wonder if the rumoured move to Crytal Palace is more advanced than first thought which would explain his absence from the squad for Boro?
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Karlosfandangal added 10:48 - Aug 6 Fatuncle Good point, I just get the feeling that his heart is not always in it. But when he is on song he is brilliant, 60 odd goals for the club has to say something
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SiBo added 10:51 - Aug 6 Oh come on guys... RK is right, Pablo has a habit of meandering around for half a game looking uninterested. OK, one game in 5 he looks brilliant, but you can't play someone based on that ratio... I suspect this has more to do with trying to move him on... we had an agreed offer in from Swansea last year and Pablo didn't agree to the move as he was happy to sit on the bench at ITFC and pick up the wages... This is about making life uncomfortable for him, so if another offer is agreed, he wants to move. I suspect RK will do the same with other players he wantsa out as well. Pablo (historically) has been a decent player for us, but not any more. As RK said in this interview, he picks players based on the NOW, not 2/3 years ago.

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oleoleoleabi added 10:53 - Aug 6 keane could you be more of a prik if you attempted it. so against middlesborough we will have priskin (who cannot score to save his life) stead (who you hate and are trying to get rid of every second) walters (who wants to jump ship) and martin (over-paid useless runt) and pablo a player who actually loves the club and has the football brain to bring other people into the game, leave him at home!! the reason you have not seen his ability and everything on the training pitch is beacuse you are making him train alone!!! keane get out of our club you are ruining it and jason scotland great thats going to be enjoyable football to watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! repeat of last season again!!

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blueherts added 10:57 - Aug 6 Guys - Pabs has never been the same in his second spell - He does not score enough goals - end of - he was good once but no more - we are moving on
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Monkey_Blue added 10:58 - Aug 6 HadleighBlueBoy...most of keanes signing are a luxury we can't afford, unless you think they have played to their full potential in which case the millions spent on them seem even more ridiculous. Its really difficult to know whether keane just signs very bad players or he's a very bad manager who gets nothing like their potential out of them. Keane has learnt nothing about man management from the likes of clough or ferguson...can you imagine keane allowing a player to go off every weekend to his home coutry for three days....or making huge allowances for certain players poor training performances because they do it when it counts(not saying this is pablo of course) Its keanes job to find ways to motivate players, get the best out of them, get the tactics right to get the right performances and make the right transfer decisions. I can't think even his biggest fans can honestly say he's done any of this. btw the player who was allowed to bugger off to cork for three days every weekend was mr r m Keane.....no others were allowed this privillage but it worked for the player and cloughie knew this. Keane also insisted he was allowed to turn up for ireland training two days after everyone else.

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larchblue added 11:04 - Aug 6 Lets hope Fulop is as good up front as he is in goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Fatboy added 11:08 - Aug 6 “Players' attitudes, desire to do well, hunger to train, passion for the game, heart, so he won't be involved this weekend.” Subtext: Counago has no desire, hunger, passion or heart. Similar player to Garvan; plenty of talent, but needs a good kick up the backside.
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oleoleoleabi added 11:10 - Aug 6 If this is the case which i severly doubt it is!! how is making pablo train alone motivating him??
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Bluetone added 11:10 - Aug 6 RK was a spiteful sod as a player and now is a spiteful grudge bearing sod as a so-called Manager.
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joeippy01 added 11:14 - Aug 6 if we can keep the score under 5 at bora will be a good result.
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