Martin O'Neill has hinted that an announcement on Robbie Keane's future with the Irish squad isn't far away, and that it might not be good news for Keano fans.
The leading goalscorer in Irish history, it is sometimes forgotten that the Dubliner has been leading from the front and slamming in goals for the best part of two decades, and his impact may only be truly noted when he decides to call it a day.
That decision may be coming soon, as it seems that Martin O'Neill has been speaking with the LA Galaxy striker and told a press conference on Friday afternoon in Clonmel that he will be making an announcement soon on his future with the international side, hinting strongly that he will be hanging up the green jersey.
Martin O'Neill: I've spoken to Robbie (Keane) and I think he will make an announcement soon. #FestivalofFootball
— FAIreland (@FAIreland) 29 July 2016
MON says Robbie Keane will make an announcement pretty soon, suggests he is going to retire from international football.
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) 29 July 2016
As Keane himself noted in his own speech when the team returned home from Euro 2016, there is a new group of young players coming through who are more than capable of taking up the mantle, and the future of the Irish squad is in fact very bright.
Still, there's no doubt that, should Keane decide he doesn't want to hang on until the World Cup in 2018, they would be losing one of their leading lights.
The news comes shortly after the decision from Andy Reid to retire from football after years of battling injuries, while Shay Given also announced on Thursday that he would not be togging out for Ireland again.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
