Robbie Keane set to manage Hungarian club Ferencváros

Michael Bolton

Hungarian media have reported that Robbie Keane is set to become manager of Budapest club Ferencváros.

Keane has been out of management since leaving his job in charge of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel last June.

Despite calls for Keane to leave his position throughout Israel's actions in Gaza, the former Ireland striker explained on Rio Ferdinand's podcast why he returned to Israel following October 7th.

“What people don’t understand, when [October 7th] did happen, we left the country. But I’ve got five staff, I’ve a lot of foreign players who rely on me as their coach,” he told the Rio Ferdinand podcast.

“We were winning the league, they hadn’t won it in three years; we were in Europe and doing very, very well.

“Let’s make it clear, what is happening is terrible and nobody wants to see it and hopefully it ends very, very soon. But at the end of the day, I’m a football manager and my staff have got people to look after. I’ve got a duty of care.

“I had players calling me, ‘Please don’t leave coach, don’t leave, what you have done for this club’ ... So I made the decision to stay until the end of the season and walk away from a big contract [with] another year, possibly two more years. But to go and win the league and to win the double, nobody can ever take that away from me.”

Keane will join the Hungarian side in a positive position.

Ferencváros are second in Nemzeti Bajnokság I, a point behind Puskas Akademia, having lost just two of 16 league matches under Jansen.

They are also in Europe, sitting in a play-off spot ahead of Europa League group games against Eintracht Frankfurt and AZ Alkmaar later this month.