‘Scotland here we come!’: Micah Richards jokes he has packed his bags and is ready to follow his Sky Sports pal Roy Keane to Glasgow with tough-talking pundit linked to the Celtic job following Neil Lennon’s departure
- The Celtic manager’s job opened up last month after Neil Lennon was sacked
- The Scottish giants failed to win the Premiership title for the first time since 2011
- Roy Keane is reportedly keen to help his former side get back on top in Scotland
- Micah Richards joked that he would like to join Keane as the Irishman’s assistant
- Richards and Keane have struck up an unlikely bond as pundits on Sky Sports
They are the unlikely punditry duo who endeared themselves to the nation last season – and now Micah Richards has joked that he is ready to join his Sky Sports pal Roy Keane as a coach.
The former Sunderland and Ipswich boss is reportedly keen on the vacant Celtic manager’s job after Neil Lennon departed last month, with the club comfortably second best for much of the campaign and conceding the Scottish Premiership to bitter rivals Rangers on March 7 after they drew 0-0 away at Dundee United.
Celtic finished runners-up for the first time since 2011 and Keane, who finished his playing career with the Hoops and won the title in 2006, was notably subdued when asked if he had any words of celebration for Steven Gerrard’s men, saying that Celtic would ‘bounce back next year like all great clubs do’ before Richards and fellow pundit Graeme Souness chuckled.
Micah Richards and Roy Keane have hit it off as pundits since teaming up last season on Sky
Richards joked he is moving to Scotland to be Keane’s No 2 amid his links to the Celtic job
Jokes about Richards and Keane teaming up in the dugout first cropped up last month.
Souness and Richards teased Keane about his managerial ambitions when the former Manchester United midfielder said ‘who’d want to be a manager?’ in reply to a question about how frustrated he’d be if he was in Chris Wilder’s shoes and Chelsea’s penalty against Sheffield United that day had been awarded against him.
Souness quickly responded to Keane’s question: ‘You do!’ Even Keane couldn’t suppress a grin as Richards chimed in: ‘You told me you were taking me as assistant, what are you talking about?’
Keane had to fight hard to stop himself laughing, but quickly slapped Richards down with his customary wit by saying the ex-Manchester City right back could be the kitman.
Richards is not letting his dreams of becoming Keane’s assistant die, tweeting after the Celtic rumours emerged: ‘I’ve just packed my bags! Scotland here we come.’
Keane won the Premiership with Celtic in 2006 and is reportedly keen to become manager
Neil Lennon was sacked last month after falling way behind this season’s champions Rangers
Former Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam told Richards his old club are there to stay at the top
The post prompted an avalanche of replies, with former Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam advising against a move to Celtic Park.
‘Stay in the studio big man. There’s a change of the guard in Scotland now,’ he wrote.
Richards responded with three pairs of eyeballs before joking that he had been ‘upgraded to fitness coach’ and sharing a topless picture of himself from his City days.