Robbie Keane: "The team always comes first"

Robbie Keane has admitted that he will understand if he is dropped down to the bench for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifier away in Germany on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old scored a hat-trick during Ireland's 7-0 win over Gibraltar yesterday evening, but reports have suggested that head coach Martin O'Neill will deploy Shane Long instead of Keane as a lone centre-forward against the world champions.

If he is to be omitted from the starting lineup in Gelsenkirchen, veteran frontman Keane has insisted that he will accept the decision for the good of the team.

"Listen, everyone wants to play, there's no question, but the manager has to pick what's right for the team," he told RTE Sport. "If it's right for the team, regardless of if I'm playing or not, I don't really care. As long as we get a result, I couldn't care less.

"It's about the team. I think as you get older you understand that and you appreciate that more. When you're young and you're hungry, you're more selfish. As you get older, you appreciate the team. The team always comes first."

Keane's most recent trio of goals took his international tally to 65.