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‘Star signing’ Yorke to be rewarded with new deal
ROY Keane will offer Dwight
Yorke a new contract next week
after describing the 36-year-old
midfielder as one of the "best
signings" of his 20 months as
Sunderland manager.
And with Yorke on the verge of
securing his UEFA A Licence
coaching qualification, Keane is
expected to offer his former Manchester
United team-mate a player-
coach role in an attempt to persuade
him to remain on Wearside
for at least one more season.
Yorke's current contract is due
to expire at the end of next
month and, with the veteran having
started just 16 Premier
League matches this season,
there has been mounting speculation
that he would return to
Australia this summer.
Keane accepts Yorke's playing
contributions would be limited if
he was to remain at the Stadium
of Light for another campaign,
but the Black Cats boss claims
the Trinidad & Tobago international
is every bit as influential
off the field as on it.
He might have been known as
a playboy during his time at Old
Trafford, but Yorke has gradually
emerged as the de facto leader
of the Sunderland squad.
"I'll be sitting down with
Dwight next week," said Keane,
who will also discuss the future
of Ian Harte, Andrew Cole,
Stephen Wright, Stanislav Varga
and Darren Ward, the five other
Sunderland players who are out
of contract this summer.
"Dwight's been one of my best
signings ever, or at least in 20
months! He's done exactly what
we hoped he would. You can look
at what a player does on the field,
but you also have to look at what
they do off it as well, and
Dwight's really led the dressing
room.
"It's been tough in there at
times this season, but Dwight's
played a big role in keeping
everyone together. Dean (Whitehead)
has been important too,
and the two of them have been
great for us.
"If you'd said Dwight would
have helped get us promoted and
keep us in the Premier League
when he signed 20 months ago,
we would have taken that.
"He's done everything that's
been asked of him, and he's not
leaving yet. Who knows what
will happen? We'll have a chat
next week."
Yorke's desire to start his
coaching qualifications suggests
he is already turning his
thoughts to a possible career in
management.
Such a suggestion would have
been laughable a decade or so
ago, when Yorke's off-field activities
tended to revolve around
clubbing jaunts rather than
coaching sessions, but as he has
mellowed and aged, so his priorities
have changed.
He has spent a great deal of
time with Sunderland's younger
players this season, passing on
some of the experience he has
garnered from winning the
Champions League and Premier
League and representing his
country in the World Cup finals,
and Keane feels he will make an
excellent manager if he decides
to pursue that route.
"I could see Dwight becoming
a manager in the future," he said.
"He's done his coaching and he
loves his football. He certainly
knows the game - we've done
quizzes and he's always at the top
- and I think he would have a
good chance in management.
"I wouldn't have thought that
when I was at Manchester United
- I might have thought he
would have been a good manager
of a bar somewhere - but I definitely
think he'd have a chance
now."
Nyron Nosworthy agrees,
claiming Yorke's ability to converse
with a wide range of players
makes him ideal management
material despite his
rabble-rousing past.
"For me, Dwight definitely has
what it takes to be a manager or
a coach," said the defender. "His
people skills are second to none,
and that's a very important part
of being a coach.
"He's a bubbly character, and
he's had a very important role to
play behind the scenes. He also
has lots of experience, and has
been through so much during his
career. He's always able to offer
advice, and has helped keep the
confidence up when things have
gone badly."
As well as meeting his out-ofcontract
players next week,
Keane will also reassess the future
of the four other players currently
on the transfer list.
Greg Halford, Liam Miller,
Ross Wallace and David Connolly
have been available for the majority
of the current campaign,
but Keane will consider each of
the quartet's position before deciding
whether to invite offers
this summer.
He will also make an improved
contract offer to Grant Leadbitter
and Daryl Murphy - two of
the players who have impressed
him most this summer - but does
not expect any new signings to
arrive on Wearside until mid-
June at the earliest.
"There's plenty to be discussed,
but I don't think a lot will
happen for a while," said Keane.
"If people think loads of players
are going to arrive in the next
couple of weeks, or loads of players
are going to go, they're wrong.
I would say it'll be at least five or
six weeks before anything starts
to happen."
Keane's first transfer target
will be Jonny Evans, with Sir
Alex Ferguson likely to invite offers
for the Manchester United
loanee once his side have played
in the Champions League final.
9:31am Saturday 3rd May 2008
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