Robbie Keane to consider extending playing career following Indian Super League stint

Former Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane has said that he will take a couple of weeks off to assess his future before making a decision on his next move in football.

Keane moved to Indian Super League side ATK at the start of this season but suffered an achilles injury during a pre-season training camp which ruled him out until December. The 37-year-old played nine games in total for ATK and finished the season off as the club's player-manager. Keane is currently weighing up his options within the sport but will take a few weeks off to assess his future before making a decision. “I’m going to take a few weeks off, have a break and decide what I want to do, whether I carry on playing, which is an option,” Keane told The National. “I could easily play for another couple of years, or I could start going down the coaching role. “As I said, I’ll take a bit of time to consider and then we’ll see. But by no means will I be sitting idle.

"It’s just seeing my options. I finished in India, had nine starts, nine goals, so I definitely have another good year, two years left in me scoring a few goals. There’s no question about that.

"For me, it’s just about the right opportunities. There’s always options, but we’ll see." Ireland's all-time leading scorer said that he would consider offers in both Asia and Europe but that he needs to ensure that the next opportunity he receives makes sense to him with regards to his career. "That’s something I’ve been very clear about, that I want to get into in the future," Keane replied when asked about a career in football management. "Whether or not it’ll be next year or the year after, who knows?

"But if a good opportunity came up in terms of coaching, I’d have to sit down and seriously consider it.

“For me, it’s about learning. It’s not about jumping into something and then regretting after. A manager’s career could be 30 years, so I’ve got time. I’m not in any rush to jump into anything that is going to maybe set me up for failure or because it may sound attractive, but is not the right one for me.”