IPSWICH Town chief executive Simon Clegg has confirmed that new manager Roy Keane will be given the necessary financial backing to strengthen his squad during the close season.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town chief executive Simon Clegg has confirmed that new manager Roy Keane will be given the necessary financial backing to strengthen his squad during the close season.

Keane will take charge of the Blues for the first time in their Coca-Cola Championship fixture at Cardiff City tomorrow (kick-off 3pm,).

The former Manchester United superstar will be having a mainly watching brief having revealed that he will not be thinking about any comings or going for a while yet.

“I have not been given a budget,” said Keane, who wants to take stock on the playing side after meeting his squad yesterday.

Clegg said: “There is no specific budget as such but club owner Marcus Evans will be giving his full backing to the new manager.

“I had dinner with Roy on Wednesday night and his passion and drive shone through.

“These are exciting times for this football club and changes in the way it was run were inevitable.

“But we will continue to uphold the important community values that are part of Ipswich Town's tradition.”

Evans handed previous manager Jim Magilton �12million to spend on his squad 16 months ago, and it is not expected that he will be quite so generous to Keane

But the former Sunderland boss is still expected to bring in a number of players having made a lot of signings during his time at the Stadium of Light.

Keane, who has already lifted the Ipswich Town profile with world wide interest in his first Portman Road press conference yesterday, said: “Nothing will be happening for four, five or six weeks.

“We've got to take stock and take it from there.

“There are a lot of players on long-term injuries and players whose contracts are up, so that might suit me.”

Keane confirmed he will be moving to East Anglia with his family, having commuted from his home in Cheshire during his time at Sunderland.

Ipswich Town legend Kevin Beattie welcomed Keane's arrival saying: “If I sat in the dressing room and Roy Keane was speaking I would be elated.

“He was a leader on the pitch and will be a leader off the pitch having taken Sunderland out of the doldrums.

“If you had said that Roy would be here a couple of days ago I would have laughed. It was all talk of Alan Curbishley and Glenn Hoddle.

“It is a brilliant move, and I am sure he will achieve the task ahead of him.”