Hysen tips Keane to lead Ireland

Sweden striker Tobias Hysen has tipped his former Sunderland boss Roy Keane as the ideal candidate to become the next Republic of Ireland manager.

Only qualification for next year’s World Cup, a prospect largely hinging on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Swedes and Austria, appears likely to extend Giovanni Trapattoni’s five-year term at the helm. Martin O’Neill, Mick McCarthy and Brian McDermott have been touted as successors to Trap, yet Hysen believes Keane is a ready-made successor.

“I played under Roy at Sunderland in 2006/07 when he took us from bottom to top of the Championship,” said the 31-year-old, one of the three players, including Anthony Stokes, who Keane infamously left behind when they were late for the team bus to Barnsley. I’ve no doubt he’ll get back into management because he was probably the best I played under. He was one of Ireland’s most successful players, so why not give him a chance to manage the national team?” said the IFK Gothenburg attacker, who is in the Swedish squad to face Ireland. “All Roy does is place the same demands on players that he placed upon himself at United. Some of the English players at Sunderland had a problem with that approach but I didn’t.”