KEVIN KEEGAN could find the answer to his biggest defensive problem right on Manchester City's doorstep.

Manchester United's Denis Irwin has the class and experience to make the ideal right-back in the new team Keegan plans to assemble at Maine Road this summer.

Blues boss Keegan has identified the right-back berth as one of the three positions he urgently needs to improve, along with midfield and striker, if his team are to regain their Premiership status next season at the first time of asking.

Former skipper Richard Edghill's form and confidence disappeared under a torrent of abuse from the City fans last season and will almost certainly have to leave Maine Road to get his career back on track.

And Edghill's replacement Laurent Charvet suffered a similar fate following his £1.5m move from Newcastle and has now been transfer-listed at his own request.

Republic of Ireland star Irwin is bound to be tempted by a move across town - and a switch from red to blue - despite being offered a new one-year contract to remain at Old Trafford.

Dissappointed

United's record trophy-winner was disappointed that the Reds would not offer him a two-year deal and has admitted that he will be open to offers when he returns from holiday next week.

Although he will reach his 36th birthday later this year the quietly-spoken Irishman is as fit as ever and insists he has still got at least two more years of soccer in his legs at the highest level.

It's a measure of Irwin's talent and versatility that he has gathered his haul of silverware over the past decade while playing at left-back for United.

Because even the majority of the fans will be unaware that he joined Oldham Athletic from Leeds United in the mid-80s as an orthodox right-back and played in that position throughout his career at Boundary Park apart from a handful of games at centre-back.

Irwin has been strongly-linked over the past few days with a move to Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic who will be able to offer the Old Trafford favourite Champions' League soccer next season.

But Irwin's wife and young family are happily settled in the Altrincham area and would not need to be up-rooted if the ice-cool defender becomes part of Keegan's Maine Road revolution next season.

Under the terms of the Bosman ruling, United will not be able to ask a fee for one of Sir Alex Ferguson's best-ever signings and the prospect of landing one of English soccer's most accomplished defenders for nothing other than his salary will be as appealling to City's ''money-men'' as it will be to new boss Keegan.