Robbie Keane’s Potential as a Future Celtic Manager
When Martin O’Neill looked around the Republic of Ireland dressing room, he admits he wouldn’t have necessarily identified Robbie Keane as someone with management potential. However, after observing Keane’s successful tenure as a manager at Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ferencvaros, O’Neill is now convinced that the 45-year-old should be on Celtic’s radar for the upcoming summer.
Keane, who has long been admired by members of the Celtic board, is currently the bookmakers’ favorite to become the club’s next permanent manager. While O’Neill’s time as Republic of Ireland manager didn’t overlap with Keane at the peak of his playing career, he still holds a high regard for the country’s most-capped player and top goal scorer.
Keane retired from international football shortly after being a fringe player in O’Neill’s squad during the Euro 2016 finals. He began his coaching career with assistant roles at Middlesbrough and Leeds before making a name for himself as a manager. His success with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he led the team to the Israeli Premier League title in 2024, earned him a move to Ferencvaros, where he is currently aiming for a second consecutive Hungarian title.
In a recent interview, Keane admitted he has ambitions to manage at a higher level and has never hidden his affection for Celtic. During his loan spell from Tottenham in the 2009-10 season, he scored 16 goals in 19 games for the club. O’Neill, who is currently focused on salvaging Celtic’s season, believes that Keane has the qualities needed to lead the club.
‘Why not?’ O’Neill said when asked if Keane should be considered for the job. ‘Robbie has done really well at Ferencvaros, so why shouldn’t he be? The football club should be looking at someone of that calibre.’
O’Neill also reflected on his own experiences with players who had potential for management. He mentioned Larry Lloyd, a defender who he believed had the attributes to succeed as a manager. However, Lloyd’s career took a different path, which highlights the unpredictability of managerial potential.
‘It’s hard to say if someone will become a manager,’ O’Neill said. ‘I might have been the most unlikely player at Nottingham Forest to become one. So I don’t know enough about Robbie as a person to say how he would manage a group of people in a dressing room, but he’s made a fair fist of it so far.’
O’Neill remains cautious about his future beyond the end of the season, although he has hinted at the possibility of staying with Celtic in some capacity. He recently attended a Preston game, which some speculated could indicate a longer-term role. However, he clarified that the visit was more about scouting and understanding Championship football.
‘It was a chance to see a live Championship game and I wouldn’t be reading a great deal more into it,’ O’Neill explained. ‘There were two elements to it. I went down because, at the end of it all, it’s my opinion we should still be looking at players. Also, I know the Preston director Peter Ridsdale from way back when he tried to get me to Leeds United and we have stayed in touch.’
O’Neill’s immediate focus is on maximizing the current squad’s performance as they aim for the Premiership title and Scottish Cup. The attacking department remains a concern, particularly with Kelechi Iheanacho coming off the bench to score crucial goals but struggling with fitness. Tomas Cvancara has also been inconsistent, raising questions about the forward line.
‘Iheanacho is fired up and has a lot of natural ability,’ O’Neill said. ‘We’re not sure whether to start him because there’s a decent chance he won’t last the game. He says he would, but we’ll see. If he stays fit between now and the end of the season, we’ll need him.’
‘I think it’s fair to say Tomas could do with more confidence. He missed two or three chances last week, one he would have taken with more confidence. There were parts of his game I was pleased about but eventually centre forwards have to live and die by the number of goals they score.’
