Robbie Keane has opened up on his future for the first time since holding talks over becoming Celtic manager in the summer.
The former Hoops striker held detailed discussions with Dermot Desmond in London over potentially succeeding Martin O’Neill and was, at one stage, believed to be the club’s preferred candidate.
However, O’Neill eventually opted to remain at Parkhead and quickly agreed a permanent contract, while Keane’s potential appointment had also faced significant opposition from sections of the Celtic support.
Keane had left Ferencvaros only weeks before his Celtic talks and has remained out of management since, despite now revealing he has received numerous approaches.
Speaking to the Hungarian media, Keane said: “If I told you how many opportunities I would have had to go back to work since then, you wouldn’t believe it… I was invited to a lot of places.
“I didn’t feel like I had to jump headlong into another challenge. I owe a lot to football, the minimum is that I will only sit on the bench again when I am completely ready for it.
“Anyone who knows me knows exactly what I want. I would like to reach the highest level, but for this you have to successfully take certain steps. I also follow football during the break, I am interested in the Champions League, the Europa League.
“If the opportunity arises, I watch a match in the evening, but now I am not dealing with football twenty-four hours a day. This is not the time for me.”
Keane’s former club Ferencvaros defeated Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead in the Europa League last month, although the Irishman revealed he did not watch the match.
He continued: “I checked the score on my phone that evening, but I didn’t see the match. I haven’t even been home in Ireland these months, my family and I moved to Spain. The weather is much nicer here, and right now I really just want to relax, nothing else.”
And Keane ruled out taking a coaching role while he waits for the right opportunity to return to management.
He said: “Absolutely not. Before I left Ferencvaros, I worked almost continuously for the past three years. The coaching profession is such that you have to be sane twenty-four hours a day. Constant stress, tense nerves. Now it’s nice to rest.
“I was exhausted,” he said on leaving the Hungarian side. “There are periods like that for a coach. Of course, when I decided to coach, I was aware of this. In fact, my family also knows that it is not an easy life for a coach.
“There are certainly those who can work non-stop, who do not stress about their daily work, I am not like that. Now I have to let go of all the tension.”
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