TV BOSSES HOPE Roy Keane will be able to double-job and carry on his work as a football pundit.
Keane’s first appearance as Ireland assistant came on Tuesday night alongside manager Martin O’Neill on ITV’s Champions League coverage.
The two briefly discussed their appointment with Adrian Chiles and Lee Dixon ahead of Manchester United’s 0-0 draw against Real Sociedad.
Keane, who once famously said that he would rather go to the dentist than do media work, has become a firm favourite for his no-nonsense style since joining the punditry panel two years ago.
The job has kept him in the public eye since he was sacked as Ipswich manager in 2011.
Now ITV hope to convince him to stay on provided he is allowed to juggle the roles under the terms of his FAI deal.
“We’re hoping Roy will continue his pundit role going forward,” a spokesperson for the station told TheScore.ie.
Although O’Neill appeared this week, the spokesperson confirmed that he “is not a regular ITV pundit.”
If Keane continues, his TV commitments are unlikely to stretch beyond two evenings a month during the football season.
The job would allow him to keep a close eye on the form of some of Europe’s top stars which could be handy when scouting future international opponents.
But it’s unlikely to be much use when it comes to judging Ireland’s own talent.
As it stands Celtic striker Anthony Stokes, who played under Keane at Sunderland, is the only player to have appeared in the Champions League group stages this season.
