Robbie Keane is a contender to replace Michael Carrick as Middlesbrough manager, talkSPORT understands.
The Republic of Ireland and Tottenham legend is coming off a season in which he won the Hungarian league title in charge of Ferencvaros.
The season before he also lifted a title, taking the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
That was part of a league and cup double, and in 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 Ireland, Leeds, and crucially Boro.
Owner Steve Gibson is understood to be impressed by his time at the club in 2019.
Middlesbrough called time on Carrick’s two-year spell as manager on June 5 after a season in which a play-off spot evaporated due to some poor late form.
Alongside Carrick on the club’s shortlist is Sheffield Wednesday‘s Danny Rohl who has a hefty release clause.
Rob Edwards and Jon Dahl Tomasson are also options, with talkSPORT reporting on Thursday that Steve Cooper has ruled himself out of the running.
Keane was a Premier League great with Tottenham, scoring 126 goals in 349 appearances, also playing for Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Leeds and Coventry.
Yet the Dublin-born coach isn’t exactly agonising over a return to England, as he told talkSPORT.
“People keep asking me this question. I’m in Europe,” he said.
“I had a call yesterday with somebody, an interview as well, and they asked me [that question]. I’m not from England. I’m from Ireland.
“So whether I fly one hour to England or two hours to somewhere else abroad, it doesn’t make any difference to me, as long as I have the right tools and the right team that I can play my football.”
Middlesbrough have spent 15 of the last 16 seasons in the Championship.
A promotion in 2016 saw them head straight back down, and their best league finish since was in fact under Carrick in 2023.
The former Manchester United assistant took the team to fourth in the second tier but they lost in the semi-finals of the play-offs to Coventry.
Eighth and tenth place finishes have since followed under Carrick, coinciding with their north eastern rivals Sunderland joining Newcastle in the top flight for 2025/26.
