Roy Keane: England don't have unity or spirit to succeed Among the audience was Roy Keane, the former Manchester United captain and ITV's star panellist for the tournament. His face, a mixture of grimace, growl and exasperated smile, was a picture. If there is one footballer over the past 20 years who has dealt with reality rather than dreams, it is Keane. And, as an Irish outsider with an insider's knowledge of the failings of English football, it is instructive to listen as he spends an hour dissecting the issue. Keane comes back to four words: unity, spirit, distractions and priorities. Keane is drawn back to the premature international retirement in 2004 of Scholes, a player described by Xavi as the world's best midfielder over the past 15 years. "I think Paul was fed up with kind of the circus that was behind England, certain players trying to call the shots," says Keane. I know Scholes used to be p----- off because there was stuff going on, a lot of it nothing to do with football. There's always been distractions with England. Going back a few years ago it was the Wags. At the last World Cup, you had David Beckham on the bench. I thought that was ridiculous. They were holed up somewhere for two or three weeks before and the players were p----- off with that. I think the mentality doesn't suit England, being stuck in hotels. Dealing with that downtime will be a particular challenge for Wayne Rooney, whose two-game suspension will mean a 37-day break from competitive football by the time of his potential return against the Ukraine. Asked if it would be difficult for Rooney to retain his focus, Keane said: "Yes. I think the big problem Wayne will have is the boredom. I wouldn't have been a great one for sitting around. Wayne is still young, he's pretty active, mentally. Sometimes players come back fresh, but it is not as if Wayne can feel his way into the tournament. It's, 'you have to produce today. As good a player as he is, that is difficult. It is also fascinating to hear Keane explain why he would have picked both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, especially in the context of a distinction he separately makes between effective team spirit and player friendship. "Rio is only 33," he says. People ask if he can play two games in four days. Can Steven Gerrard do that? Liverpool have been letting him out for certain games because they reckon it is too much for him. He adds: "I've no problem with lads not speaking together and not being pals together. At United, it was well known that Teddy Sheringham didn't get on with Andy Cole. I wasn't big pals with Peter Schmeichel but when we trained and when we got out on that pitch we did the business for each other. Don't kid yourself that when England get together they will all be laughing and joking. The United lads will probably sit with United lads. You are attracted to the type of people you know. After all that, there is no surprise when Keane predicts another quarter-final exit for England. His pick is Germany. "England have good players but I expect them to come up short again," he says.