When Robbie Keane leads the Republic of Ireland on the field in their upcoming friendlies against Lativa and Poland, he’ll have a new managerial crew to play for.
Martin O’Neill was appointed Ireland manager earlier this month and quickly named former Manchester United legend Roy Keane as his number two. The pair will be entrusted to lead Ireland as they look to reach Euro 2016 in France on the heels of failing to advance from a fiercely competitive World Cup qualifying group, which led to the exit of former manager Giovanni Trapattoni.
The LA Galaxy captain, who is expected to take an offseason break to repair a nagging Achilles injury after the friendlies, admitted that he was quite excited about the appointment of O’Neill and the former Ireland captain.
“It’s two men who have the respect of the footballing world,” said Keane earlier this month. “It’s an appointment that everyone should be excited about, certainly, one that I’m excited about because they are two big strong characters that we’ve probably needed for some time.”
Keane and Ireland take on Latvia on Friday in Dublin before traveling to face Poland in Pozan on Nov. 19.
