Roy Keane could handle the pressure at Celtic - O'Dea

Roy Keane has the attributes required to succeed Ronny Deila as Celtic manager, according to former Parkhead defender Darren O'Dea.

"He's a very good manager," O'Dea said.

"At a club like Celtic he would be under massive pressure, something he's lived with his whole career."

After moving on-loan to Ipswich in 2010 from Celtic, the Irish defender sampled first-hand how Keane operates.

"I was very impressed with him in my time at Ipswich," O'Dea told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme.

"He's portrayed in the media as a real tough guy which he certainly is, but he's got a very articulate manner about him as well.

"He's a very witty guy, he's funny. He's good company and he's a very good manager. All the sport science in football, he's very clued up. Probably the most knowledgeable guy I've come across in football. He knows football inside-out, watches all types of football.

"Of course there that's streak, he's a guy you wouldn't want to cross. When you're doing your job and you're doing it well he'd be the first to say well done, but likewise if you're not and he feels that you're not giving 100% he'll be the first to tell you."

O'Dea, capped 20 times by his country, feels Keane will have benefitted from a spell working alongside Martin O'Neill as assistant manager in the Republic of Ireland set-up.

"He wouldn't have done it with many other managers and he's probably learned a lot from Martin O'Neill as well," O'Dea continued.

"I'd imagine if he came back into management he'd have a lot more experience and working with someone like Martin O'Neill will have helped him no end.

"He's got plenty of different attributes he could bring. He's a very good coach. He's a guy that is obviously a big, big character. Would probably be a big enough character to manage Celtic, although it would remain to be seen how he would deal with the pressures of media."

'Rodgers would be a fantastic appointment'

O'Dea has also played under another man being linked in some quarters with the soon-to-be vacant Celtic manager's job, Brendan Rodgers, and feels the former Liverpool boss would also be a good fit at Celtic Park.

"The whole place will feel very comfortable under him," explained O'Dea, who played under Rodgers during a loan spell at Reading in 2009.

"As a coach he's meticulous. The way training is run, everything is with a purpose. There's an explanation to everything. He was just fantastic on the training pitch.

"As a guy he was second to none, a lovely, lovely guy. He's not a disciplinarian, but he's certainly got a big enough character. He's gone on and managed a massive club in Liverpool which would be similar to Celtic in terms of the scrutiny he'd be under.

"I would say Brendan Rodgers would be a fantastic appointment for Celtic. I think he ticks a lot of the boxes that Celtic need.

"He's got the character to do it and he likes to play a certain style of football that I think would also suit Celtic."