Ex-Leeds United manager reveals he wanted backroom staff member after impressing at Soccer Aid

Allardyce took charge of Leeds for the final four matches of the 2022/23 season as United dropped out of the Premier League with a whimper. Despite coming in at the eleventh hour in a bid to shake up the established order of things at Elland Road, Allardyce picked up just a single point from the four games he took charge of before leaving at the end of his short-term contract.

Daniel Farke arrived shortly thereafter and now appears close to reuniting Leeds with the top flight, at the second time of asking, if they can secure a minimum of seven points from their four remaining Championship fixtures this season.

Speaking on the Footy Accumulators 'No Tippy Tappy Football' podcast, Allardyce said: “I only had four games which was a massive task obviously, so you sit down and think: ‘Who’s out of work?’

"Karl Robinson pops up and I offer him the job, and we’ve got no time, then someone puts Robbie Keane into my head.

“I got to know him really well at Soccer Aid, I think; ‘He’s a massive Leeds fan and the Leeds fans love him’.

“So I ring him up and ask him where he is, and he’s on Ireland duty. I rang him at 8am and he arrived at Leeds at 2pm, his contribution for lifting up a team that was low on confidence, but what a club.”

Allardyce was the manager for England at the annual Soccer Aid charity event in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Keane is also a regular fixture at the one-off match which pairs up celebrities and ex-pros and pits the Rest of the World team against an England XI.