"I was not certain myself whether he would last the pace of a Premiership match but he answered all the questions I might have had about him. I have to admit he surprised me a little bit, he was terrific.
"It is all down to him really, he is the one who has worked hard and got himself back into the right physical shape. He may have had reservations about coming back but I believe the Blackburn game will have come as a massive relief for him.
"He had been out for a long time and when you are in your 30's and you have not played that long it can affect your confidence. Maybe he had to prove to himself that he could still do it. Blackburn was the acid test for him and he was the best player on the pitch.
"I wanted to get him involved from the very start when I came in last season and put him on the bench for the Liverpool game but in the cold light of day he admitted he was not fit enough to do himself justice.
"The prospect of Batty against Keane is a mouth-watering one, it is what this fixture is all about, but to be honest I doubt they will see that much of each other with the way both of them will be deployed. They sit in front of the defence and they provide a valuable shield.
"I have spoken to David about it. He will have a major role to play against Manchester United because they do not play with a rigid 4-4-2. His job will be to track the deep running of Paul Scholes.
"Give me that Keane and Batty type of footballer any day. They get in the tackles and they are able to keep the ball well. All of the best teams in history have had players like that. Unfortunately, there are few around today, they are a dying breed."