Keane insists United will bounce back
Sunday, 22 May 2005 17:50A defiant Roy Keane insisted that Manchester United will bounce back next season, following their heartbreaking FA Cup defeat at the hands of Arsenal.
Keane was denied his fifth winners' medal in the Millenium Stadium yesterday when United's dominance was shattered by Arsenal's penalty shoot-out triumph.
The defeat saw United end the season empty-handed and means they have now won just two trophies in the last four years, a far cry from the multiple successes of the 1990s.
Coupled with the increased financial muscle of new Premiership champions Chelsea and the host of young emerging stars at Highbury, the statistic suggests United's era of dominance is drawing to a close.
But Keane, insists that is not the case and pointed to the brilliant performances of man of the match Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as evidence of the Old Trafford outfit's ability to continue the pursuit of every major honour.
"We will be back. Disappointments such as these should make you hungrier for success. We are Manchester United and we will keep on fighting," he said.
"Of course we can reclaim the championship. You look at lads like Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney and it gives you plenty of hope for the future."
"There are some strong characters in our dressing room, so we will lick our wounds and come back even more determined next season," the Irish international added.
