Although Keane scored in the curtain-raising 3-0 victory over Manchester City, it has taken just two weeks for the frustration to quickly set in, although Venables can understand such a reaction given the transfer window is due to close on Saturday.

With another four strikers on the books, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Michael Bridges and Robbie Fowler - the latter duo both due back from injury - Keane can clearly see no resolution to his problem other than to finally walk away.

‘‘At this stage of my career, I cannot afford to spend week after week on the subs’ bench waiting for a chance to impress in the closing stages of games,’’ he admitted recently.

Venables is now ready to listen to offers, for like his predecessor in O’Leary, he sees no point in keeping a player at the club who is looking to leave.

‘‘It’s only two games, and I didn’t really expect it (Keane’s comments) after two games, but then again he might not have said what he did if there were only a few days to the transfer deadline,’’ stated Venables.

‘‘He’s probably thinking ‘do I stay now for four months or do I try and get a club now where I can play every week?’ That’s his problem.

‘‘A week ago I felt that wasn’t the case, but now there’s a change of heart, and so we will have to see what happens. If there’s any interest I will look at it and if he doesn’t want to be here, I will feel the same.

‘‘I’m not going to cut my nose off to spite my face. I would like to keep all the good players here to take on the challenge and compete.

‘‘But if someone wants to come to me and make something, on the club’s terms, then it’s possible it will go through. Although we’re running out of time now and I would think nothing would happen at this stage.’’

Venables is likely to name an unchanged team from the one which went top of the Premiership on Saturday night with a 3-1 victory at West Brom.

Keane’s international team mate Damien Duff is poised to sign an extension to his current Blackburn Rovers contract and commit his long-term future to the Ewood Park club. The Republic of Ireland international will line up against Liverpool, the club that tried to secure him in the summer.

“Liverpool made a bid for Damien Duff last week after weeks of speculation but it was nowhere near good enough,” Rovers manager Graeme Souness said last night. “It wasn’t even half of what we wanted. It took 10 seconds for our chief executive John Williams to send back a fax.”

Rovers and Duff have now agreed on a two-year extension to the 23-year-old’s current contract by handing him a £30,000-a-week package to stay at Ewood Park until 2006.

‘‘He’ll be signing a new contract either before the game or immediately after it.”

Meanwhile Birmingham’s record signing, Republic of Ireland international Clinton Morrison is finally fit to make his Premiership debut for the club at Everton.

The £4.5million signing from Crystal Palace has been suffering from a groin problem which kept him out of the opening two matches with Arsenal and Blackburn.

But the player safely came through a behind-doors practice game on Monday, playing for 65 minutes.

“This has been a frustrating period for me having to sit out the first couple of games. But these things happen in football and I am determined to make an impact, ” Morrison vowed.