ROY Keane accepts the criticism that has come his way after selling Blackburn Rovers star Jordan Rhodes when the pair worked together at Ipswich Town.

Keane was boss of the Tractor Boys when he sold Rhodes, then 19, to Huddersfield for £350,000 in July 2009.

The Scotland international went on to score 87 in 148 appearances for the Terriers before signing for Rovers for £8m in August 2012.

Rhodes, now 24, has netted 57 goals in 107 games since his club record move to Ewood Park.

Keane, in his new book The Second Half, said: “I still get criticised for selling Jordan, and I have to accept that.

“But it was also a club decision. We sold him to Huddersfield, down a division, for (an initial) £350,000, and he started scoring loads of goals.

“I think I was the one who suggested a sell-on clause, and thank God we had it because they sold him to Blackburn for £8million.

“The mistake myself and the staff made with Jordan was, we discussed what he couldn’t do rather than what he could do.”

Rhodes, who will return to Ipswich on Saturday week when Rovers resume their Championship programme, last season admitted Keane’s decision to sell him has left him with a point to prove.

He said: “Absolutely, you want to prove one or two people wrong with a couple of decisions that have been made previously in your career.”