The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is set to announce Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane as their new management team following the departure of Giovanni Trapattoni, local media reported.

The Irish Times newspaper said the appointment was approved at an informal board meeting that was held after the FAI cup final in Dublin on Sunday.

It comes following an unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign that saw Italian Trapattoni depart as his side finished in fourth place in Group C behind Germany, Sweden and Austria.

A popular choice among fans, Northern Irishman O’Neill made his name as a player under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and has a proven managerial track record at Celtic and in the Premier League with Aston Villa.

But it is the possibility of the appointment of former Manchester United captain Keane – another Clough protégé and one of the most divisive figures in Irish football – that is most intriguing.

The fiery midfielder threw the national team into chaos when he railed against what he perceived to be amateurish preparations for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Reports suggest that media mogul Dennis O’Brien is set to continue to contribute financially to the cost of the management team, who are expected to take over in time for a friendly against Latvia in Dublin on November 15.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.