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Roy Keane questions Eden Hazard's attitude

Roy Keane has admitted he would have kicked any team-mate who repeatedly spoke of leaving his club in training after questioning Belgium star Eden Hazard's attitude.

The Republic of Ireland assistant, in his role as a Champions League TV pundit, branded the Chelsea star "a spoilt child" and said he would "kick him up and down the training pitch" if he were one of his team-mates earlier this season.

Roy Keane attempts to smile Credit: PA

Ireland face Hazard's Belgium in their second Group E fixture at the Euro 2016 finals in Bordeaux on Saturday, and while the 44-year-old former Manchester United skipper believes the midfielder is a talented player, he did not appreciate his willingness to link himself with Paris St Germain in February.

Speaking at the Republic's Versailles training base on Thursday, he said: "That's nothing personal, I would do that to anybody if I was playing with them who was talking about possibly wanting to leave all the time.

"It's nothing against the lad - I think he's a talented boy. I'd like him to be in our group, he's a really, really top player.

"He's had a difficult season, I suppose, but that's because maybe he set his standards so high the previous season.

"Don't get me the wrong way, I think he's an outstanding player, but if you'd asked me if I was playing with anybody, whether I was at Forest, Rockmount, Cobh Ramblers, and they were constantly talking - if it was true - that they wanted to leave and they had a poor attitude to training, then I would kick them in training, yes.

"But I have kind of done that with most players, I suppose, even lads who didn't want to leave."

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