We know one thing for certain about Roy Keane’s future… he won’t be engaging in a balancing act between club and country.
The Republic of Ireland assistant manager has been strongly linked with a return to club management, with Hull City reportedly keen on the Corkman after former boss Steve Bruce stepped down earlier this month.
But, according to Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, it will be a case of one or the other for Keane as O’Neill does not believe that it’s feasible to hold two positions at once.
“If you are going in to manage at club level, that’s your job. You couldn’t do the two,” O’Neill told the Sunday Times.
“Roy can answer for himself but I think he would feel that way too. With his experience of Villa in mind, if an assistant manager’s job position occurred again, he would maybe have second thoughts about it.”
Keane started his career under Martin O’Neill by briefly merging his role as Aston Villa assistant manager role with the Ireland number two job but, in late 2014, he decided to concentrate his energy on the national team.
O’Neill said: “In one aspect, I’m quite pleased that Roy’s name is being mentioned again (in relation to club management). It feels like he’s really contributing. I would really be disappointed if he left but I don’t want to hold anybody.”
