ROY KEANE'S disciplinary warning to Dickson Etuhu earlier in the campaign has hit home and the Sunderland midfielder wants to learn more from the Manchester United great.

When Etuhu was forced to serve a one-game ban for collecting five yellow cards in his first eight matches for the Black Cats, Keane urged the Nigerian to clean up his act.

Since receiving the last of those bookings in the 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough on September 22, the towering middle-man has gone five games without being dealt a sixth.

He also emerged from Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland without entering referee Martin Atkinson's notebook, despite an unsavoury flashpoint with former Manchester City team-mate Joey Barton.

Etuhu had to endure Barton's studs being placed into his groin on the stroke of half-time. It was an incident that left both players going head to head on the Stadium of Light surface.

It has also been claimed that Etuhu waited to finish off the matter' in the tunnel afterwards, before Keane and his team-mates shepherded him into the dressing room.

Now, having worked under Keane since moving from Norwich in July, the 25-year-old is prepared to listen further to his mentor.

"He wants to improve me as a player," said Etuhu. "It is early days and it will take time but he has told me all the attributes I have and the ones I don't have.

"I've got to know what we have to work on and he is the perfect guy to teach me. I am sure everybody looked at him as a player and saw what a great player he was and I am definitely enjoying every minute of it."

Etuhu recalls the infamous clashes between Keane and Patrick Vieira during the Irishman's playing days with Manchester United as the perfect example.

But it is not just on the field where Sunderland's £1.5m purchase from the Canaries is looking to develop. He is also examining ways he can improve his methods on the training ground and at home.

"I would watch the gaffer and Vieira's battles and I, like every football fan, loved those," said Etuhu, who is due to join up with the Nigeria squad ahead of friendlies with Australia and Switzerland.

"I wanted to be educated and get tips from the top players and they don't come much better than those two.

"The manager likes to keep himself apart from the players and it works well because everybody just gets on with it and runs that bit extra when we're training - especially if he is out there.

"He still runs it, still appeals for every throw-in, every foul and every yellow card. He just lets the ball go at the perfect time, just before you get there.

"You can't help but learn from him.

"If you are playing against him, you know you're in for a hard game. I haven't seen anyone try to nail him yet - but would you?

Sunderland defender Ian Harte has been given a late call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time since February.

Harte, who has started the last two games at club level, joins team-mates Liam Miller, Daryl Murphy, Anthony Stokes and Paul McShane in the squad.