Keane link to Celts won’t faze O’Neill as Ireland only priority

The bookies might have slashed the odds on Henrik Larsson as successor to Neil Lennon at Celtic but, inevitably, the name of Roy Keane is still in there as a longer shot.

Martin O’Neill heard the big breaking news from his old club barely an hour before he oversaw Ireland’s first training session of their summer schedule in Malahide yesterday and then, only minutes after leaving the pitch and still soaked from the rain, he had to contend with being asked if he harboured any fear that his assistant manager might not see out the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

“Actually, funnily enough, I haven’t, because I just spoke to him a moment ago and he said he’s going to stay with me forever,” O’Neill quipped. “Get it in!”