In fact, possibly because of not always complimentary headlines about his off-thefield behaviour, he seems to be uncomfortable discussing anything of substance in front of the media. You can see it in his shuffling bright blue eyes.

And yet, however unwittingly, Robbie Keane can tell you a great deal, even in half an hour, about what it means to him to be finally fulfilling his ambitions after years of clubhopping.

This evening, the Republic's record goalscorer and stand-in Tottenham Hotspur captain leads his team out at Leicester for the first step on what he hopes will be the road to an FA Cup final appearance in May . . . either at the new Wembley or at Cardiff . . .

and a prized piece of silverware to go with his array of skills.

If the FA Cup has always had a special place among Tottenham supporters, its tradition has meant just as much to Keane himself. Critics may say the world's oldest domestic knockout competition has lost much of its lustre because of the now-annual battle for a Champions League qualification spot, but for Keane it is huge.

"As a kid growing up, I always dreamed of playing in an FA Cup final, " Keane, a boyhood Liverpool obsessive, recalled at the Spurs training ground on Friday. "It was a massive thing in Ireland and I think it still is. Unfortunately I've never got any further than the semi-final when I was at Wolves. We lost 1-0 to Arsenal but were unlucky."

The very fact that Keane is even contemplating cup glory with Spurs is significant, given that he is constantly being linked with other clubs.

At the end of each season, and again in the January transfer window, Keane's name seems to the one most frequently bandied about in terms of a big-money move.

First it was Everton, then Celtic became the latest club to be linked with Keane's services this time around. And it irks him. "To be honest, I don't care because I've had that sort of speculation since I was a kid, " Keane says, the tone of his voice giving his true feelings away. "Every summer I seem to be linked with different clubs. But I don't think the reason I've moved around so much is anything other than to do with football. I've never said I wanted to leave Spurs.

That's why I'm sitting here now today. I could have chucked it in instead of sticking it out. But I believe this club is going places."

Yet Keane is clearly not the easiest individual to get along with. Often criticised for being hot-headed and not enough of a team player, he has had his fair share of spats, even with the Tottenham management. Last April, for example, he was fined £10,000 and forced to train with the reserves for storming down the tunnel when substituted. And earlier this season, he was reportedly involved in a training ground punch-up with Edgar Davids.

The publicity may have made him suspicious of the media but it has done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm.

Having forced his way into the starting 11 at the expense of England striker Jermain Defoe, Keane is scoring goals again and relishing his latest challenge. Not only that: at 25 and captaining the side in the absence of the injured Ledley King, he is almost regarded as a Spurs veteran in just his fourth season at the club. So it's easy to see why he is enjoying himself. The current Tottenham side, flying high under Martin Jol, is as good, Keane says, as any he has played in anywhere. And he should know, he's been at quite a few.

"When I first signed for Leeds, the team we had then had great potential and it's the same here, " he recalls. "I almost feel old compared to some of them. Players like Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon have a great future.

This team can go places and I want to be part of it."

Tottenham have a two-year option to extend Keane's contract, which expires next summer, and are keen to take it up. Even if they do, he knows that talk about his future will never go away.

"Even if I sign a new contract and I'm not in the team a year down the road, it'll be the same thing again, " he said.

In the meantime, with Tottenham enjoying the heady heights of fourth place in the league, Keane is concentrating on the present. His manager, whose infectious will to win has awoken the mother of all sleeping giants, is reluctant to talk about the Champions League, preferring to cite a top-six place as the season's goal. But Keane summed up the mood of all the players: "Of course it's realistic but it's going to be difficult. If we finish above Arsenal, the fans will love it but for us qualifying for Europe, any way we can, is the aim. What the manager has done for this club since he took over has been brilliant".

The feeling appears to be mutual. Jol would love nothing more than for Keane to score the winner in tonight's third round. "I'm not sure the captaincy has had that much effect on him because he's been terrific for us all season, " the Dutch manager said.

"The strength of this club is that all the strikers are keeping each other on their toes.

Robbie epitomises that."

Yet would winning the cup with Spurs or even finishing in the top six . . . something the club have not achieved since the Premiership started . . .

compensate Keane for failing to reach the World Cup with Ireland? No chance.

"Nothing would, " he responds resignedly. "I got a taste for it four years ago and I'll miss it now. It's massively disappointing and I don't really want to comment on what happens vis-a-vis the manager. I'm sure it'll be sorted in the next few weeks because we've got games coming up."

FA Cup progress may not come close to World Cup participation but at least it's realistic. Tottenham have already endured the embarrassment of being eliminated from the Carling Cup this season by lower-league Grimsby and Keane is adamant that everyone has learned from the experience: "We don't want to go through that again. We'll definitely be up for it this time", he vowed.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND LEICESTER CITY v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Walkers Stadium, 6.30 Live, BBC1, 6.20