Football news - Roy Keane returns to Nottingham Forest as Martin O'Neill assistant

Keane played for Forest between 1990 and 1993, making 114 appearances before joining Manchester United in a £3.75m deal.

Keane worked alongside O'Neill with Republic of Ireland between 2013 and 2018, and was at Forest training on Monday morning, .

"Nottingham Forest are delighted to confirm that former Red Roy Keane has returned to the club as assistant manager," said the club in a statement.

"Keane, who started his professional football career with The Reds in 1990 and went on to make over 100 appearances in the Garibaldi, joins Martin O'Neill's backroom staff with immediate effect.

"Signed by Brian Clough in 1990, Keane made his professional first-team debut against Liverpool in the 1990-91 season before netting his first senior goal against Sheffield United in the same campaign."

O'Neill, a former Forest player who won two European Cups with the club, replaced Aitor Karanka in the job earlier this month.

"He’s (Keane) tough to handle, there’s no doubt about that, but that’s what makes him special – but he was a special footballer, drove Manchester United for 10 years and he didn’t do that by sitting around," said O'Neill.

O’Neill lost his first game as Forest manager 1-0 to Bristol City, but enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Forest are ninth in the table, four points off the play-off places.

O’Neill was a midfielder for Brian Clough’s continent-conquering Forest team which won the 1977-78 First Division title and then back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Clough managed Forest from 1975 to 1993.

O’Neill left his role as Ireland boss in November and the Forest job will be his first in club management since leaving Sunderland in March 2013.