Keegan said: 

"Oba will not play here because he's had an injection in his knee.

He won't play in these two games, but we still wanted him to come with us. He can do some running, and there are some nice runs where we are. We took the view that he and Shay Given, who has been injured, could come with us, because they're very close now to coming back into full-time training.

It's just time with Oba. He's got to let this settle for four days. He can run on it, but he'll miss the two games.

His attitude has been absolutely fantastic. He's trained very, very hard, and he's been very focused.

Obviously his training was interrupted by the tragic death of his mother, but he came back quickly, and went straight into training again.

I'm delighted with all the players, but not least those who could cut corners, but have not."

Martins has been pencilled in to face PSV Eindhoven next week, the first of the summer where he may get the opportunity to line up with fellow striker Michael Owen.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Barton Could Face Lengthy Ban By FA

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS