Roy Keane's affection for his home coutny of Cork is no secret.
The former Ireland captain is a proud Rebel, and has regularly been pictured at Cork inter-county games and League of Ireland matches in the county in recent years.
His devotion to Cork was perhaps best showcased in last year's Irish episode of The Overlap on Tour, in which he showed Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher around the old haunts of his home-town.
He has never missed an opportunity to get a Cork mention in during his broadcasting career either. Keane memorably chose Jimmy Barry Murphy as one of his all-time great sports heroes on Monday Night Football, before describing the All-Ireland winner's brilliance in passionate detail.
Keane let his Cork colours show once more in the ITV studio in Wembley on Sunday afternoon, as he effused about Ireland goalkeeeper Caoimhín Kelleher with Ireland preparing to take on England.
Roy Keane heaped unusually high praise on Caoimhín Kelleher
It's rare that we hear Roy Keane speaking passionately about his admiration of players, with much of his punditry devoted to scathing criticisms - especially of the teams that he used to play for.
However, if there is one in-form player who is fully deserving of praise, it is certainly Ireland's Caoimhín Kelleher. The Liverpool shot-stopper carried Ireland to victory against Finland with his brilliant late penalty save, and has excelled at club level while filling in for the injured Alisson Becker.
Kelleher's first Ireland call-up in 2018 came at the very end of Roy Keane's time on the Ireland coaching team alongside Martin O'Neill, with the then-19-year-old on the bench for the final two games of their tenure.
Speaking on ITV pre-match, Keane revealed he and O'Neill had been taken immediately by Kelleher's attitude when he came into the Ireland camp, heaping high praise on the Ireland 'keeper.
Caoimhín is now getting regular games. I was working with Martin when we brought him in - we liked him straight away.
From the first session we had, Séamus McDonagh was saying, 'We like everything about him, he makes other keepers look lazy.' Another thing Séamus said about him was, 'He has a great temparament.'
When you're at the big clubs, playing the big games...he's made one or two mistakes but he takes it in his stride.
He's getting a run of games now at Liverpool and I think he's got a great chance.
It was unusually high praise from Keane - who then revealed the biggest reason he has so much time for Caoimhín Kelleher.
I like everything about him - and the big bonus as well is that he's from Cork!
Ian Wright alongside Keane in the ITV studio was cracked up by his Cork comment - and it is perhaps no surprise that the former Ireland captain has so much time for the current goalkeeper.
SEE ALSO: Ireland Legend Passionately Urges Liverpool To Make Caoimhin Kelleher 'Number One'
