Former Leeds United forward Robbie Keane is set to return to Elland Road following the appointment of Sam Allardyce.
That is according to The Times, who report that Keane will join Allardyce 's backroom staff after the 68-year-old replaced Javi Gracia in the dugout with four games remaining.
Allardyce will also be assisted by former MK Dons and Oxford United manager Karl Robinson. Gracia was sacked after only 10 weeks at the helm and collected just three wins from his 11 league games in charge at Leeds.
READ MORE: Javi Gracia breaks his silence on Leeds United exit with heartfelt letter to supporters
Leeds lie 17th place in the Premier League table and are only separated by the relegation zone on goal difference. Allardyce will make his managerial debut for the Whites with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Saturday.
With reports emerging about Keane's possible return to Leeds, here is everything you need to know about his coaching career so far...
Robbie Keane's coaching career so far
Robbie Keane was a serial goal scorer in the Premier League for over 12 years with the likes of Coventry City, Leeds, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
He is also Republic of Ireland's all-time top goal scorer with a formidable total of 68 goals in 146 caps during an impressive 18-year international career.
The Irishman scored 126 goals in 349 appearances in the Premier League, with 13 of those coming in a Leeds shirt during his two-and-a-half year spell at Elland Road.
The forward also had spells abroad at Inter Milan, ATK and LA Galaxy, as well as a short stint at Celtic. Keane made his first steps into management when he was appointed player-manager of ATK in March 2018.
Keane would oversee just three games in his role as player-manager - registering two victories and one defeat. He served as assistant manager for Republic of Ireland under Mick McCarthy between November 2018 and April 2020, and also worked as understudy to Jonathan Woodgate at Middlesbrough.
He left his role at Boro after his one-year contract expired in June 2020, and decided to step down from his position with the national team when Stephen Kenny was appointed as manager in April 2020.
The 42-year-old has been without a coaching role since leaving both positions, and has appeared regularly as a pundit for Sky Sports over the past two years.
Keane did complete his UEFA coaching qualifications in 2020 and received the UEFA Pro License.
What has been said about him?
Jonathan Woodgate (June 2019): “What can we say about Robbie? I think it’s fantastic we’ve been able to attract someone of his calibre to this football club.
“We’ve got a forward on our [coaching] books, and that hasn’t always happened at this football club. It’s great that he’s with us.
“If you look at this league now, you go up by scoring goals. If you don’t, you won’t go up. If you look at my backroom team: Leo [Percovich], Danny [Coyne] and Robbie, we’ll have that in abundance – especially with Robbie by my side."
Mick McCarthy (December 2020): "It’s a shame it’s ended for him with the Republic of Ireland as well because he was great as an assistant to me. I hope he gets another job soon because he’s got so much to offer.
"It was a great help to have him bridge the gap with the players, because he had only just finished himself. He knew the players, and he had a good relationship with them. He certainly helped me with some of the lads, just because he knew them. He knew far more about them than I did."
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