ROBBIE Keane will begin his Aston Villa career on the bench – but goalkeeper Shay Given will return to the starting line-up against Everton at Villa Park on Saturday.

Alex McLeish hopes naming Keane among the substitutes will have a motivating effect on his strikers after just one goal in four straight home defeats.

And the manager has risked Villa losing Brad Guzan in the summer by restoring fit-again first-choice Given despite the impressive form of the understudy.

Explaining his decision to put Keane on the bench, McLeish said: “It is more likely that he will make an impact like Thierry Henry did for Arsenal.

“So Robbie won’t start – he’ll just come on and score instead! I’ve told him that.

“He’s looked good in training, but with training it is condensed pitches. I’m a fantastic five-a-side player, for example!

“But his enthusiasm is there for all to see and he would be desperate to start.

“I have to be fair to my own players and those who are here for the long term. And I don’t think any of them have done too much wrong.”

Villa have just a solitary Marc Albrighton goal to show for their four straight home defeats to Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Swansea.

And McLeish hopes the presence of Keane in reserve will get strikers Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor back on the Villa Park Premier League goal trail.

“We could do with getting our strikers back in the goals and if Robbie is here to shake it up then great, but he has a part to play also,” he said.