ROBBIE KEANE has emerged as an early contender for the vacant manager’s job at Middlesbrough.
Theside brutally on Wednesday.
Robbie Keane is a contender to replace Michael Carrick as Middlesbrough manager
Keane knows Boro well after spending two years as assistant manager to between 2018 and 2020.
Despite his role as a No 2 after hanging up his playing boots, has never managed in .
Keane, 44, impressed owner Steve Gibson during his short stint at the Riverside Stadium six years ago.
The Republic of and Tottenham legend is coming off a title-winning season with Hungarian side Ferencvaros.
The season before he also lifted a title, taking the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he won the double.
That was Keane’s second job as a head coach, having started out at Indian side ATK upon his retirement in 2018.
From there, he went on to learn his trade as an assistant with , Leeds, and crucially Boro.
Former Championship-winning gaffer , out of work since he was sacked after 12 games at Leicester, is also on the .
Carrick and his assistants Woodgate and Graeme Carrick â his younger brother â
The 43-year-old, who was the division’s longest-serving manager, led Boro from the 21st in the table in October 2022 to the play-offs.
That was followed by an eighth-placed finish and a run to thesemi-finals but, despite a positive first half of this season, they eventually ended a disappointing 10th.
Keane was a Premier League great with Spurs, scoring 126 goals in 349 appearances, also playing forLiverpool, , , Leeds and Coventry.
Rob Edwards and and Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl, who has a hefty release clause,are also options.
have spent 15 of the last 16 seasons in the Championship.
