Robbie Keane could be on his way to Middlesbrough to link up with his former team-mate Jonathan Woodgate.

Woodgate is set to be appointed as the new Middlesbrough manager this week and Keane confirmed on Wednesday that he had also been approached to become assistant manager of the club.

The Championship club parted company with Tony Pulis after missing out on the playoffs last season.

Woodgate, who worked as a first-team coach under Pulis, now appears to be in pole position to get his first managerial role.

Woodgate and Keane were teammates at Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur and Keane said on Wednesday that he would make his decision on whether to accept the offer to work with Woodgate with the help of his family in the coming days.

Keane is currently one of Mick McCarthy’s assistants with the Republic of Ireland but it appears he would be able to combine both roles and confirmed on Wednesday that McCarthy was supportive of him taking the Middlesbrough job.

McCarthy revealed when he was appointed manager of the Boys in Green last November that Keane was the one who suggested he should join the Ireland coaching staff.

Keane was part of McCarthy's squad that reached the World Cup in 2002 and McCarthy believes that Keane has a bright future in coaching.

He said about Keane: "he’s got his head screwed on in terms of wanting to be a coach, a manager in his own right. If you're talking about succession, whatever happens to me in two years’ time, he should be part of that succession."

There is a precedent for Irish backroom staff to combine their international duties with a club job after Roy Keane was also a member of Paul Lambert's staff at Aston Villa while he was Ireland assistant manager.