Roy Keane named assistant coach at Nottingham Forrest

Roy Keane has returned to Championship club Nottingham Forest as assistant to manager Martin O’Neill.

Keane spent three years as a Forest player before leaving to join Manchester United in 1993 for a then British-record transfer fee of £3.75m.

The 47-year-old worked alongside O’Neill during his five-year spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland, which ended in November.

O’Neill had said he would “dearly like” Keane to join him at the City Ground.

Forest are ninth in the Championship and four points off the play-offs, having won one and lost one of their two matches since O’Neill succeeded Aitor Karanka as manager.

Keane had spells as manager of Sunderland and Ipswich Town before being part of the Republic of Ireland set-up when they reached the last 16 of the 2016 European Championship.

As a player, he appeared in FA Cup and League Cup finals for Forest after joining from Irish club Cobh Ramblers in 1990.

He later won seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League during more than a decade with Manchester United.