Roy Keane leaves Aston Villa with immediate effect

Roy Keane today quit as Aston Villa’s assistant manager after just five months in the job.

Villa have not won in eight games and scored just twice in that dire run.

However, Keane said the reason for his shock exit was that he was struggling to combine the job with that of being Martin O’Neill’s No2 with the Republic of Ireland.

“Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland and combining my commitment to these have become too much,” he said in a statement.

“It isn’t fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I’ve made this decision.

“I’d like to thank Paul for giving me a great opportunity to come to a brilliant football club, I’ve really enjoyed my experiences at Villa and I wish the management team, the players, the supporters and the club nothing but the best going forward.”

Villa manager Paul Lambert said: “Roy came to me this morning and he informed me that, ultimately, the difficulty of combining both roles has prompted his decision, which I respect totally.

“In the brief period we have worked together he has been great in the role and I understand his reasons for leaving.”