Keane: We have to move on

The Republic of Ireland must move on from their Euro 2016 and get ready for their World Cup qualifying campaign, assistant manager Roy Keane has said.

Ireland reached the last 16 stage of the European Championships before their journey was ended by host nation France and less than three months later the Boys In Green are preparing to embark on a World Cup qualifying campaign.

Serbia will provide the opposition on Monday and Keane has warned them they must put Euro 2016 behind them and turn their attention to getting the required result in Belgrade.

"It seems like yesterday we were starting in Georgia, but we are professional people, we have got to get switched on and get ready and whatever has gone on in the last year or two, whatever the plaudits people might have received, it's the nature of the business we are in, it's history now," Keane explained.

"We have got to move on and we have got to try to get a positive result and certainly a positive performance on Monday, and hopefully the result will take care of itself.

"We have moved on. There's no issue of looking back - you can't do in this game, it's history. Whether you have a good day or a bad day, you have got to try to move on.

"The Euros seems like 100 years ago, it's gone."

Ireland embark on the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign without Robbie Keane and Shay Given after both players announced their retirements from international football.

While their loss will be felt, Keane has urged the younger members of the squad to step up and fill the void.

"These lads have been fantastic and they'll be huge losses to the country. Honestly, I can't tell you how much we'll miss them on the pitch, off the pitch," Keane said.

"But it's up to the other young lads now to come through and some of the other senior players to take over from Robbie and Shay, whether it be when we are travelling or in the dressing room, whatever it might be.

"Yes, I think there are enough lads coming through and enough lads in the background, and we still have plenty of senior players, John O'Shea, the Glenn Whelans of this world.

"Listen, they know the game, they have been around a long time and as much as we will miss the lads, we just have to embrace the new players coming through and hopefully they'll take over that responsibility that Shay and Robbie carried for a long time."

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