Earlier this month, Robbie Keane was named the 'frontrunner' for the Celtic job by prominent outlets down south. To be honest, the news came a bit out of the blue. While the Hoops had been heavily linked with the Irishman before Wilfried Nancy's eventual appointment, that was not the case in recent months.

On the contrary, until that point, all the talk surrounding Martin O'Neill's eventual successor in the summer had revolved around Jens Berthel Askou of Motherwell and Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez.

That being said, it is easy to see why Celtic might have set their sights on Keane as a potential successor for O'Neill.

As a manager, he has exceeded expectations wherever he has been so far. Also, he has a part connection with the club, having played for Celtic, albeit only on a brief loan spell. Also, the fact that he is an Irish footballing legend won't hurt his chances either.

There is a section of the Celtic support that won't be particularly pleased if Keane is made the manager. That being said, out of the names that are being mentioned as potential candidates, he certainly feels like one of the stronger ones, at least on paper.

Keane has shown promise as a manager and he also has the pedigree from his days as a player to understand the pressure that comes with life at clubs like Celtic.

It remains to be seen if Keane ends up leaving his current post at Ferencvaros in the summer. The comments of his assistant coach don't seem to hint at a potential exit being on the horizon though.

Leandro de Almeida is Keane's assistant at Ferencvaros. According to Fradi, he said about the Irishman: 

"He has a winning character, and this rubs off on the team. Everyone is aware of what kind of career he had as a footballer, and he can convey his experiences very well. Especially on match days, he feels very well when he needs to push the guys or when he needs to talk to them a little calmer.

"He manages the company very well, which is not easy because there are many of us. I think he is a complex coach, I hope he stays with us for a long time."

So, it looks like Leandro is hoping for Keane to stay at Ferencvaros for a 'long time'. Of course, we all know how quickly things can change in football.

It remains to be seen if Celtic do end up making a push to appoint Keane this summer. With a few months left before the season ends, it is very likely that a few other names will crop up as potential candidates between now and then.

Let's just hope that the club get the appointment right this time around. They cannot afford a repeat of the Nancy situation. It is hard to imagine that O'Neill would be happy to come in for a third stint to steady the ship once again if things go wrong for the next manager.

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