Richard Keogh’s agent has opened up on the centre-back’s heartbreak after being sacked by Derby County.
In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, Cos Toffis said the 33-year-old is ‘hurting’ and ‘in a really bad way’ after being axed by the club he served for seven years.
Keogh had his contract terminated by the Rams last week over his role in the drink-driving storm that rocked the Championship club.
The club captain was a back-seat passenger in the Range Rover driven by team-mate Tom Lawrence that crashed into a lamppost after a night out on September 24.
The crash left him with a serious knee injury which required surgery and is expected to rule him out for as long at 15 months.
But he has now been left without a club and without the medical care he would have received at Derby as he battles back to fitness.
And, speaking to talkSPORT host Jim White, his agent Toffis said on Monday: “Richard is in a really bad way, it’s heartbreaking.
“I don’t think I can put into words how much he’s hurting and what his family are going through. Richard’s world has been absolutely rocked.”
Keogh, who has been at Derby since 2012 and played 356 games for the Rams, had 18 months to run on his £25,000-a-week deal.
And Toffis says he was ‘shocked’ Derby have ‘kicked him to the kerb’, saying his loyalty to the club and role in the Derby ‘family’ should have been taken much more into account.
“I was absolutely shocked that Derby sacked him,” he said.
“It was something we were paranoid about but at no point did we think it was going to happen.
“It was a devastating blow. It’s a decision I wish they didn’t take.
“Richard was family at Derby. He played 356 games for the club and whenever a player commits to a club the way Richard has, you become family. He will be in the Derby County family for the rest of his life; there won’t be many players who will play that many games over the next 50 or 60 years for one club.
“When players show that immense loyalty, dedication and commitment to a football club… he’s given everything to Derby. He’s only missed a handful of games, he’s fought in that shirt, he’s bled in that shirt, he’s cried in that shirt.
“He loves Derby County and he’s got an exceptional relationship with fans and the staff. He hasn’t even been able to go in to say goodbye to the staff.
“To be kicked to the kerb is a really difficult pill to swallow.”
The question that now remains is whether Keogh will play again.
When he completes his rehabilitation, which Toffis says could take place at the FA’s St George’s Park training centre, the experienced defender will be 34.
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But his agent has no doubts he will be back on the pitch, and reveals that they have been told by medical staff that Keogh is already ahead in his recovery.
“Will Richard play again? One million per cent,” he added.
“He is the most determined character I’ve come across in my life, and anyone who has met him will back that up.
“He’s ahead of schedule, so that’s one bit of good news we’ve had over this last week.
“In 12 or 13 months from now he’ll be putting his boots back on and getting back out there.”
