West Bromwich Albion defender Gareth McAuley says it was Roy Keane's hard-line style at Ipswich that gave him the belief to be a Premier League player aged 32.

The Northern Ireland cap started his working life as a draughtsman. But he's now a key defender, alongside Swede Jonas Olsson, for ­Hodgson, since his free transfer summer move to The Hawthorns.

McAuley said: "I came to ­realise that he (Keane) just wanted high standards.

"Working for him was tough, mentally and physically. But he just wants the best for people and he pushes you on."