ROY Keane has been confirmed as Aston Villa's assistant manager saying he is relishing the challenge of combining working in the Premier League with international football.
The 42-year-old will work alongside Villa manager Paul Lambert and will also remain in his role as number two to Ireland boss Martin O’Neill.
Keane said: “I am delighted to be joining Aston Villa and I look forward to what promises to be an exciting challenge.
“I am grateful to both Villa and the Football Association of Ireland for making this happen and I would like also to thank Martin O’Neill.
“I am relishing the prospect of linking up with Paul Lambert and combining both roles to the full advantage of both Villa and Ireland.”
Keane will begin his new role ahead on Monday, July 7 ahead of the Villa squad's return to pre-season training.
Paul Lambert added that he believes Keane's input will be a huge asset to Villa.
"Roy has a great knowledge of football, on the coaching side as well, and he'll be a great asset and a big help to everybody here at Aston Villa Football Club," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to working with him and I'm delighted that he's here.
"As a player, he was one of the most accomplished in the history of the Barclays Premier League and he's brought that experience gained over many years into his career in coaching and management. The players will love working with him.
"Although we never played together, we competed against one another and he's someone for whom I have a lot of time and respect. He has worked under some great managers, some of the most successful in the game, and he'll be a great help to myself as well.
"Roy brought Sunderland up out of the Championship and into the Premier League, he gained further experience at Ipswich - where we were close rivals while I was manager at Norwich - and he's now working at international level as assistant manager with the Republic of Ireland.
"All of that experience and knowledge along with the qualities he has as a longstanding, leading professional in the game means he will bring a lot to the table. We're delighted to have him here."
