KEANE’S JOY AT O’NEILL FOREST REUNION
ROY KEANE spoke of his delight at returning to Nottingham Forest as Martin O’Neill’s assistant manager after 25 years away from the club.
Keane, like O’Neill, is a firm fan favourite at the City Ground.
He made more than 100 appearances for the club between 1990 and 1993 before moving to Manchester United for a then British-record transfer fee of £3.75 million, where he went on to win seven Premier League titles and a Champions League.
However, he has not forgotten about the club which gave him his break in English football and is aiming to end Forest’s 20-year exile from the Premier League after reuniting with O’Neill.
Keane, who worked with O’Neill with the Republic of Ireland national team for five years, said: “I am happy to be back. I am looking forward to it, it’s a big challenge and I’m ready for it. Obviously, I had great memories of my career here as a player, the club gave me my chance and I will always remember them for that.
“But it is a different challenge now and I am in a different position coaching the players.
“I am looking forward to it, a huge challenge ahead and 20 years out of the Premier League. It will be tough, but I am very much looking forward to it.
“There are a lot of big clubs in the Championship fighting to get out of it. When Martin got the job and gave me a shout, I thought that once a few things fell into place I’d be ready for it.
“We will give it a good go, I have huge respect for Martin and the club and it fell into place nicely.
“I have seen the team a number of times over the past year or two and it is going to be tough but hopefully, with a bit of luck, we can be competitive.”