KEEGAN’ Sby UALIFIED SUCCESS

SHANE KEEGAN will be Dundalk’s man in the technical area going toe- to- toe with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in the Europa League tomorrow.

But the Irishman is not the League of Ireland side’s boss – he is the opposition analysis scout and the only man at the club with a UEFA Pro Licence.

Boss Filippo Giovagnoli and his assistant Giuseppe Rossi do not have the qualifications to be on the sidelines in Europe.

A decade ago, aged 28, Keegan became the youngest Irishman to earn a UEFA Pro Licence before leading Wexford Youths to the top tier of Irish football. He said: “I suppose one way to look at it is the youngest person to get a Pro Licence in Ireland probably just means I realised I was a s*** player before most people realise they’re s*** players.

“I started on the coaching pathway a bit earlier because I knew I wasn’t going to go too far from an early age.”

Vinny Perth was in charge of Dundalk at the start of the season. He also did not have a UEFA Pro licence and brought in Keegan alongside coaches John Gill and Alan Reynolds.

But when they lost in the early rounds of Champions League qualification, Perth was sacked by their American owners. Gill and Reynolds also left.

Giovagnoli’s and Rossi’s appointments were a shock as they came from a junior academy in New York.

Before their opening Group B defeat by Molde, the club were told the duo could not be on the sidelines and they stood behind the dugout.

“We have to nail down the lines of communication and how to make sure what Filippo needs is communicated onto the pitch,” said Keegan. “But it would be ridiculous of me not to say I’m going to enjoy it.”

DYNAMIC DUO: Keegan ( right) and Giovagnoli