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Roy Keane has said he will quit Aston Villa if his work with the Republic of Ireland suffers.

Paul Lambert's assistant manager at Villa Park is also No.2 to Martin O'Neill at the Republic of Ireland – and he said Villa boss Lambert was well aware of his position.

“I feel that if I am taking my eye off the ball with Ireland, then I will leave Aston Villa,” said Keane.

“There is no doubt about that. I have told Paul Lambert that, told Martin that and told the FAI that.

“But at the moment, it is OK. If we lose three or four on the spin (with Ireland), then I will leave Villa.

“But I’m still getting to games, I am on the training pitch at Villa, improving and am working with Irish lads like young Jack Grealish.

“The guilt would kill me if I thought ‘I am on a cushy one here’. I couldn’t work that way.

“I said before that you could do only one job, but I said that because I was only in the Ireland job a short period of time.

“I didn’t just jump into it with Villa. I sat down with Paul Lambert, had a think, and sat down Martin and the FAI and thought, I can adapt to this.

“It felt like a full-time job, but, having been in the Ireland job a while, I felt I could manage to do both.”

Meanwhile, Keane praised his namesake Robbie following the striker’s 12-minute hat-trick in the Republic’s 7-0 European Championship qualifying victory over Gibraltar on Saturday.

“He keeps doing it, he keeps doing the business and trains well, he’s a good professional. I’m not surprised by that at all,’’ said Keane.

Photos: Roy Keane's book launch