Former Middlesbrough coach Robbie Keane has taken the reins as head coach at Hungarian title-holders Ferencvaros. He will be joined at the club by analyst Phil Hudson, who left Boro to join Keane in Isreal in 2023 after 11 years at the club.

The 44 year old, who recently parted ways with Maccabi Tel Aviv after leading them to an Israeli league triumph, steps in for Pascal Jansen who has moved on to New York City FC. It's the latest unconventional move for Keane, who spent just shy of a season at Boro as assistant manager to Jonathan Woodgate.

Ferencvaros announced on their official website: "We announce the successor to Dutchman Pascal Jansen to lead our 35-time champion and 24-time cup winner team, as the 146-time national team player of the Republic of Ireland Robbie Keane has signed on Monday. The new head coach arrived in Budapest on Sunday evening and will leave on Tuesday to join our team at the training camp in Spain."

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Keane boasts a record 68 goals for Ireland over his 19-year international career, with club stints at Wolves, Coventry, Inter Milan, Leeds, Tottenham, Liverpool, Celtic, West Ham, LA Galaxy, and Aston Villa. His coaching journey began in 2018 as player-manager at Indian side ATK, followed by assistant roles with Ireland under Mick McCarthy and at Boro with Woodgate.

After a stint with Sam Allardyce's staff at Leeds during their unsuccessful fight against Premier League relegation in the 2022-23 season, Keane was offered the opportunity to manage Maccabi. Keane led the Tel Aviv club to a league and cup double, and guided them to the last 16 in the European Conference League during his single season in charge.

However, his decision to stay on following Israel’s military action in Gaza drew criticism back home in Ireland. He later stated that he remained for the benefit of his players and staff, and disclosed that he had turned down a profitable offer to continue his work. Keane will be accompanied in Budapest by assistant coach Rory Delap as well as Hudson.