Robbie Keane has been appointed head coach of Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.

The 44-year-old former Liverpool, Leeds and Tottenham forward won the title in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv last season and now has a new challenge in Europe.

He replaces Pascal Jensen, who has left to coach New York City FC, with Ferencvaros second in the table after 16 games.

📣 Announcement: Robbie Keane is the new head coach of Ferencváros.💚🤍 pic.twitter.com/dwr11oGpqY

— Ferencvárosi TC (@Fradi_HU) January 6, 2025

A statement on the club’s official website said: “We announce the successor to Dutchman Pascal Jensen to lead our 35-time champions and 24-time cup-winning side, having signed 146-time Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane. on Monday.

“The new head coach arrived in Budapest on Sunday evening and will leave on Tuesday to join our team in a training camp in Spain.”

Keane moved into coaching in 2018 as player-manager at ATK in India and acted as assistant to Ireland boss Mick McCarthy during his second spell in charge, and later held the same role under former Spurs team-mate Jonathan Woodgate at Middlesbrough.

He was part of Sam Allardyce’s staff at Leeds as they unsuccessfully attempted an unlikely escape from Premier League relegation at the end of the 2022–23 season, but was then given the chance to manage in his own right by Maccabi.

His first match in charge will be a Europa League game against Eintracht Frankfurt on 23 January.