Keane: I loved my time at Celtic

ROBBIE KEANE insists he has no regrets about his loan spell at Celtic even though the Hoops ended the season empty-handed.

The Spurs striker spent just four months in the east end of Glasgow but established himself as a firm fans’ favourite during that time. Keane scored an impressive 16 goals in 19 appearances and, despite failing to win any silverware and witnessing the departure of boss Tony Mowbray, the 29-year-old will return to London with happy memories.

He said: “It’s been a strange season for the club. But this is something I have always wanted to do and I’ll never regret it. I have no regrets in football and I’ve loved my time here. From a personal point of view, I’ve scored a lot of goals and I’ll look back with a lot of fond memories.”

Meanwhile, Keane has thrown his backing behind Neil Lennon to land the Celtic job on a permanent basis.

The former Hoops skipper took over as interim boss when Mowbray parted company with the club and won all eight of his Clydesdale Bank Premier League games in charge.

Celtic bosses revealed at the weekend the process of appointing a new manager is now formally underway.

“I really hope that Lenny gets the job. He has all the attributes to be a great manager and a passion for this club.”

Meanwhile Steven Reid accepts his time at Blackburn is almost over but is convinced he can still do a job in the Barclays Premier League. The Republic of Ireland international’s time at Ewood Park has been badly disrupted by injury and he spent the final 10 games of the 2009-10 season on loan at West Brom, helping the Baggies win promotion back to the Premier League. His contract with Blackburn expires at the end of next month and he has been linked with a permanent move to West Brom.

Reid told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: “It is looking as though my time at Blackburn has come to an end, although they haven’t made it official yet. I don’t think I will be getting anything from Blackburn Rovers in the summer. I know I can still play Premier League football though. I am disappointed I haven’t played the amount of games I hoped to at Blackburn this season but that is football.

“The manager (Sam Allardyce) has his own views and you can’t argue with what he has done.

“He has done brilliantly to get the club to 10th and I am delighted for all of them. I definitely feel I can still offer a Premier League club something because I still feel I am good enough at that level.”