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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Oisin Doherty

Robbie Keane reportedly set to join Sam Allardyce at Leeds United

Robbie Keane is reportedly set to join Sam Allardyce's coaching ticket at Leeds United.

Reports in the UK suggest the former England manager, who took over from Javi Gracia on Wednesday, has recruited Keane to be part of his backroom team.

The former Republic of Ireland striker is expected to be an assistant to Allardyce alongside ex-Charlton and Oxford United manager Karl Robinson.

READ MORE: Seamus Coleman injury update as Sean Dyche hails 'terrific' Everton and Ireland captain

Gracia had only been in charge of the club for a little over two and a half months after replacing Jesse Marsch in early February.

Despite a relatively decent start to life in Leeds, the club have slipped back into the relegation picture and are only outside the drop-zone on goal difference.

Heavy defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool had put Gracia under serious pressure, while Sunday's 4-1 hammering at Bournemouth, a result which resulted in the issuing of an apology to fans, signalled the end of the Spaniard's reign in Yorkshire.

68-year-old Allardyce, a relegation survival specialist, has been out of work since suffering the first and only relegation of his career with West Brom in 2021.

Keane on the other hand has been out of the coaching game since his contract with Middlesborough, where he was an assistant coach to Johnathan Woodgate, expired in the Summer of 2020.

Before that, the prolific goalscorer had a spell as assistant to Mick McCarthy during his time in charge of Ireland between 2018-2019.

Ireland's record goalscorer is a familiar face to Leeds fans of a certain vintage, having spent two seasons at the club early in his career before moving to Tottenham Hotspur.

As for Leeds' relegation worries, Allardyce faces a tough run-in with trips to Manchester City and West Ham along with home clashes with Newcastle and Spurs to come in the final four games of the season.

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