LONDON -- It is the time of the year when, because it is goodwill to all, we open the occasional Christmas present and say "excellent . . . just what I wanted," when the reality is "oh no . . . why was I given that?"

Christopher Davies

There was an element of saying one thing but meaning another as Roy Keane became Celtic's early Christmas gift, the former Manchester United captain signing with the club he supported as a boy in Cork.