Celtic managerial twist as Robbie Keane is reportedly no longer under consideration

The former Hoops striker held highly-publicised talks with Celtic over the managerial vacancy during the summer before O’Neill ultimately remained in charge at Parkhead.

Keane was then named as a contender to replace Paul Heckingbottom at Preston last week, although the Championship club are now reportedly pushing to appoint former Motherwell boss Graham Alexander instead.

With O’Neill coming under increasing pressure following Celtic’s recent run of results, Keane’s name has inevitably resurfaced as a potential option should the club make a managerial change.

However, journalist Alan Nixon has suggested the Irishman is no longer under consideration at Parkhead.

Asked on X whether Keane had turned Celtic down, Nixon said: “I wouldn’t put it like that, but it does seem he’s off the list now. Maybe he thinks something better is coming.”

Nixon also claimed there had been a ‘snag’ during Keane’s discussions with Celtic in the summer.

He continued: “It was met with some protest, and O’Neill deciding to stay got them out of a hole at the time.”

Keane’s previous spell in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv proved controversial among sections of the Celtic support when he was linked with the job.

The 46-year-old later took charge of Ferencvaros but departed at the end of last season after missing out on the Hungarian title to ETO FC Gyori, bringing the Budapest club’s run of seven successive league championships to an end.

Keane retains strong connections to Celtic following his spell as a player and also has a long-standing relationship with the club’s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond.

O’Neill, meanwhile, has not spoken publicly since last weekend’s derby defeat to Rangers, after which he admitted he would take time to consider his own position.

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson subsequently publicly backed the manager during the week, but uncertainty continues to surround what comes next at Parkhead.