Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Stephen Kenny has refused to say if Robbie Keane will be part of his backroom team when he becomes senior Ireland boss next year.
Keane revealed in June that his FAI contract outlasts that of current senior manager Mick McCarthy.
Assistant boss Keane said at the time: “I’m here to assist Mick in trying to qualify for the Euros so we’ll see after that - it has to be re-evaluated.
“The FAI want me to stay on. My contract is longer than the manager. It’s a few years. They want me to hang on.
“My contract is what it is and I’ll be here. If they don’t want me, no problem. At some stage there’s going to have to be a conversation.”
Yesterday, Kenny was asked if Keane might have a role on his staff when he succeeds McCarthy after Euro 2020.
But Kenny said: “To be honest with you, there has been no discussions about that at all, about my backroom team.
“This is about the Under-21 team trying to do well. The senior international team are trying to do their utmost to qualify for the Euros and we’re all very supportive of that.
“We want the Ireland team at the Euros, it would be a magnificent achievement.
“From my point of view, we’ve never qualified at Under-21 level for the European Championships...and that has to be the focus at the moment.”
