It looks like Indian club ATK will not be welcoming back Robbie Keane next season after manager Steve Coppell told reporter Khuri Irani that he didn't expect the 37-year-old to return to the club.
Keane made 11 appearances for the Indian Super League side in 2017, scoring eight goals, but former Reading manager Steve Coppell has cast doubt over whether he will bring the Dubliner back into his squad:
SC: ...I think there will be a fresh crop of foreign players
KI: Are we going to see Robbie back?
SC: I don't think so. I know the club is still in contact with him, he still has a place in his heart for the club. He still wants the club to do well, and again it's that balance between foreign and Indian players and where do you play your foreign players.
"We have four signings to make before the season starts."@WorldATK's new head coach Steve Coppell opened up to @khuri8 about transfers, Robbie Keane's future at the club and more. #LetsFootball #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/QS3u1WWT12
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) July 2, 2018
Keane was appointed player-manager of ATK back in March 2018 after Teddy Sheringham and his replacement Ashley Westwood were sacked with ATK finishing outside the play-offs. Coppell took charge of the club on 18th of June, moving from rival Indian Super League side Jamshedpur.
Keane himself has hinted that management might be the next step in his career. Ireland's record international goalscorer said an interview with Goal.com, that he enjoyed the experience of coaching the Indian Super League side:
I have enjoyed it. It has been a good experience. (Management) is something I want to do in the future. I have made no secret of that in the last few years.
I will sit down and see what I wanna do for the next year and the next couple of years. Certainly, in the next few years and into the future, I want to be a manager. I've done my coaching badges and I am excited about the future.
