Jurgen Klinsman has paid Robbie Keane a massive compliment

Jurgen Klinsmann spoke to Irish media ahead of Ireland's friendly with USA in the Aviva tonight. The former Spurs player paid some pretty gushing compliments about Robbie Keane.

  The USA manager has openly admitted to being a massive fan of Irish record goalscorer Robbie Keane. Klinsman called Keane a role model for soccer players in America and young players around the globe, while speaking at the press conference ahead of his side's friendly with Ireland in the Aviva.

I often say that in the United States, Robbie Keane is a role model for all the American players growing up in this beautiful game. That's what he has done since he came overseas, he shows to the young players what it takes to become a professional, how much dedication you need, how much commitment you need.

Klinsman also played up how Keane has flourished since joining MLS side LA Galaxy. The German reckons that the Dubliner has done wonders for improving the reputation of the young league. He also revealed his respect for the striker's ability to consistently perform at both club and international level.

Robbie is the same Robbie in training as in the game, so he is huge for MLS because these are the type of players that you need to have in your environment to make the league grow and to make younger players understand what the real big players are doing. At the same time, he continues to play for Ireland at the highest level, scoring goals, going back and forth, so I definitely use him a lot as an example how to do it. He will leave a huge mark, hopefully a long time down the road, when he leaves the game, with what he has done for MLS over the years.

Hat-tip to Independent