Robbie Keane to Preston North End truth emerges after Graham Alexander news | OneFootball

Preston appointed Graham Alexander as manager, but the reasons why Robbie Keane didn't take the job have been revealed.

Preston North End appointed former player Graham Alexander to turn their fortunes around, but it could have been a very different story after the latest revelations.

North End sacked Paul Heckingbottom in mid-September with the club bottom of the Championship after six defeats in their opening seven matches.

The Lancashire side have managed one point since, taking them above bottom-placed Burnley, with Alexander departing his post at Bradford City to link up with his former club.

Robbie Keane, who is without a club, was linked with the Preston hot seat, and now there have been some intriguing developments about why he didn't take the job.

Why Robbie Keane didn't take Preston North End job

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Keane departed his role as Ferencváros head coach in May, stating that he felt it was the right time to move on and was subsequently linked with a return to English football.

After Heckingbottom was sacked, it was reported that Preston had sounded out the Irishman about the vacant position, and now the reasons he didn't take the job have been revealed.

Keane pulled out of the race to become North End boss just 24 hours before the club made an approach for Alexander, according to Alan Nixon.

Nixon reports that the 46-year-old was contacted about the post and was even favourite at one stage, but he said no to being involved in the closing stages of the race, leading the club to focus on their former player.

He adds that Keane's reasons are unknown, but sources close to him suggest he is nearing an agreement with another job he fancies and has another Championship club on his trail, as well as interest from Italy.

Would Keane have been a good appointment for Preston?

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Given that Keane is relatively new to management and that his experience has all been abroad, it is, of course, difficult to know whether he would have been a success at Deepdale.

After leaving his role as Leeds United assistant manager, the former Republic of Ireland international took the reins at Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, guiding them to a domestic double, landing the league and cup titles.

The Dublin-born head coach left the Israeli club with a stellar record, winning 38 of his 53 matches in charge before taking the Ferencváros job in January of last year.

Taking over partway through the campaign, he led the club to the Hungarian league title before landing them the domestic cup the season after, although Ferencváros failed to defend their league championship.

While he has tasted much success so early in his career, his appointment at Deepdale would have been a risk for a club in desperate need of results, but only time will tell if he will be a hit on English shores.

Why Alexander is a better fit at Deepdale

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The obvious benefit to Alexander taking the Preston job is that he knows the club extremely well, having spent around nine years at Deepdale over two spells.

Indeed, that could be the key to North End turning things around, as it will not take the former Bradford boss long to settle in and get used to familiar surroundings.

The 54-year-old is also an experienced manager, having taken charge of six teams before moving to Deepdale, with five of those at English clubs.

In his most recent stint with the Bantams, he took the club from an underperforming League Two side to League One promotion contenders in the space of three years, so he is deserving of a crack at the Championship.

While Alexander has never managed in the second tier, this feels like a good fit, not just for the short term, but also to take Preston up the table for years to come.