Roy Keane would like his former Manchester United teammate Nicky Butt to be his assistant if he is given the Celtic job, according to reports.
Celtic have been without a permanent manager since Neil Lennon resigned in February. This was his second spell as their boss and it ended on a sour note. When he left, Rangers were 18 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers have since won the league title and Lennon’s former assistant, John Kennedy, remains in temporary charge.
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The likes of Chris Wilder and Eddie Howe have been linked with the vacancy, but Keane is among the favourites for the job.
The Sky Sports pundit spent six months as a Celtic player before he retired at the end of the 2005/06 campaign. He joined them in December 2005 which ended his twelve-year stint with Manchester United.
Speaking about his move to Scotland, as cited by The Daily Star, Keane said he has “always liked” Celtic:
“I wouldn’t have called it a dream but I’d always liked Celtic. And the Irish connection would have been on the back of my mind.
“I felt a bit of loyalty to them. This decision was a purely selfish one. I just wanted to play for Glasgow Celtic. Celtic is a special club.”
The Sun have reported that Keane would like to take Butt with him to Celtic if he gets the job. He made 387 appearances for Man United between 1992 and 2004.
Butt recently left the Red Devils after spending around nine years there as a coach. Speaking on his departure, he said it was the “right moment” to leave:
“Having come through the Academy myself to play almost 400 games for Manchester United, it has been an absolute privilege to come back and work with a new generation of talent making that same journey.
“I already know from my playing days how difficult it is to leave Manchester United.
“But it feels like the right moment for a new professional challenge.
“I look forward to exploring opportunities that build on the great experiences I’ve had here over the past nine years.”