Ambitious Roy keen to ’get back in driving seat’

Roy Keane thinks it would be good for Irish football if Martin O’Neill were to remain as manager for the World Cup campaign but says there are "a few hurdles" to get over before he can offer clarity on his own future as the Derryman’s assistant.

Not the least of those issues relates to his still burning managerial ambitions, to what he calls “getting back in the driving seat”.

Speaking at the launch of the new U17 national league at FAI headquarters in Abbotstown yesterday, Keane initially reacted with a broad smile to a question about O’Neill’s tenure - “What do you want me to say? Get rid of him? If we lose the next four games you’ll be kicking us down the road!” - but, in more reflective mood, accepted the question had validity, in terms of the opportunity the World Cup would offer to build on the manager’s first campaign and, more specifically, against the backdrop of O’Neill’s own recent hints he’d be willing to stay on.