By Sam Wallace
Should Keane be banned from six matches in United's Premiership campaign for his new autobiography and Saturday's red card - and with Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt out injured - Veron will be important. If Keane decides to have that hip operation as well, the Argentine will be crucial. Excuse his wayward shooting in Saturday's performance and he looks ready to take charge of United's midfield.It seemed hard to believe that six months ago, this was the club's problem midfielder.
Veron was at the heart of the pressure United brought to bear on Sunderland from the very start. By the time United's spell of domination had ended after half an hour, their midfield was already showing signs of disintegration. Beckham identified his booking for refusing to retreat at a free-kick as a example of excruciating injustice: fingers wagged, teeth gnashed, but still United remained just one goal up.
While Beckham was getting tangled up with Phil Babb or crunching into Michael Gray, Veron quietly went about his business. The England captain is intolerant of anything less than his own total domination down the right flank. A bit more time alongside Veron, who spends as much time fending off Keane as he does the opposition, might help him manage that anger.