Roy Keane is thinking over a return to international football after meeting with new Republic of Ireland coach Brian Kerr.

The recently-appointed Kerr flew to Manchester on Thursday to persuade Keane to pull on the green shirt once again.

After his infamous pre-World Cup bust-up with Mick McCarthy, Keane was sent packing from the Irish squad.

The Manchester United skipper vowed not to play for his country again while McCarthy was manager.

But since Kerr took charge, speculation has mounted that Keane was willing to return to international football.

Kerr has made it clear he wants to have Keane back and one of his priorities was to speak to the Manchester United captain about his international future.

The prospects of Keane returning seemed to suffer a setback last week when his club boss Sir Alex Ferguson suggested the player might be better retiring from international football.

Ferguson said he believed Keane could prolong his top-level career by concentrating solely on club commitments.