Robbie Keane linked with shock return to management months after Celtic discussions

Former Celtic striker Robbie Keane has reportedly emerged as a contender for the vacant Preston North End managerial position, just months after holding talks over a return to Parkhead.

Keane was heavily linked with the Celtic job earlier this summer before Martin O’Neill was ultimately appointed on a permanent basis.

The Irishman had been in discussions about succeeding O’Neill following his interim spell, but the proposed move did not materialise.

Keane could now be set for a return to management, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting that the 46-year-old is in the frame at Preston following Paul Heckingbottom’s departure from Deepdale.

The former Celtic striker already has a connection with North End chairman Peter Ridsdale from his playing days at Leeds United.

O’Neill also knows Ridsdale well and visited Deepdale alongside Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham earlier this year.

Their relationship stretches back more than two decades, with Ridsdale offering O’Neill the Leeds job in 2003. The Celtic manager even signed a “statement of intent” over a potential switch to Elland Road at a time when he was unsure whether he would receive a new Parkhead contract.

Keane, meanwhile, has been out of management since leaving Ferencvaros at the end of last season after missing out on the Hungarian title to ETO FC Gyori, bringing the Budapest club’s seven-year run as champions to an end.

He was replaced by Balazs Borbely, the man who had guided Gyori to the title and has since taken charge of Ferencvaros.

Keane’s links with Celtic came as little surprise given his previous spell as a player at Parkhead and his relationship with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond.

He has not publicly discussed his talks with Celtic since O’Neill was handed the job, but a move to Preston could now offer Keane his first opportunity to manage in the English Championship.