Roy Keane has spoken publicly about Celtic for the first time since his surprise appearance at Parkhead for Sunday’s Glasgow Derby defeat to Rangers…
The Manchester United legend was spotted watching from the stands as Martin O’Neill’s side suffered another damaging result, with the Celtic boss subsequently revealing he would reflect on his future during the international break.
Keane’s presence inevitably sparked discussion given his close relationship with O’Neill, having previously worked alongside the 74-year-old with both the Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest.
However, the former Celtic midfielder has since appeared to distance himself from any suggestion of a return to Parkhead and has now offered his thoughts on the club’s handling of young players.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast alongside Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jill Scott, Keane discussed Andy Robertson’s release from Celtic’s academy as a teenager.
The Scotland captain, who went on to win the Champions League with Liverpool, explained the circumstances surrounding his Parkhead departure.
Robertson said: “I was small and slim, and they made the decision [to let me go]. There was a lot of change at Celtic at that point. Tommy Burns had previously just passed away.
“New people had come in and they kind of wanted to take it in a different direction.”
Keane, who finished his playing career at Celtic in 2006, responded: “It seems like you can criticise the club for letting lads go, but that’s the best thing for a player sometimes, isn’t it? Like, go on a different journey.”
Robertson agreed that leaving Celtic at an early stage ultimately benefited his career, rather than remaining within the academy without a clear route into the first team.
He continued: “Yeah, I look at players who stayed at Celtic until they were 20 – but did they play any first-team appearances?
“And then at 20 they are trying to get their career back on track by going to lesser teams in Scotland and that, so I was happy mine [my journey] started earlier.
“There was so much change. The coaches who were in there didn’t really know me.
“All the people that know me, like Tommy Burns, were so good. There was a guy, Tony Taylor, that came over when Tommy was a bit unwell. He got to know all of us.”
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
NEW FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, available now…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
