ROY Keane is poised to appoint a number two at Portman Road in the summer months with Brian Kidd tipped to be in line for a move to Ipswich Town.

Elvin King

ROY Keane is poised to appoint a number two at Portman Road in the summer months with Brian Kidd tipped to be in line for a move to Ipswich Town.

The new Blues manager has appointed Tony Loughlan as his first team coach, and there is a likelihood that Keane will bring in an assistant manager once he has found his feet at his new club.

Loughlan was head coach under Keane at Sunderland up to December when Keane left as manager of the Black Cats.

Keane appointed Ricky Sbragia as his number two at the Stadium of Light once he won promotion to the Premier League, and it was Sbragia who took over as manager when Keane left the north east club.

Over the new few weeks Keane will be summing up his options and may bring in a big name - former Manchester United coach Kidd has been mentioned - or he may appoint from within with Steve Foley and Bryan Klug candidates.

Insiders at Sunderland suggest that Keane would benefit from someone like Kidd at his side, and he did try and attract his former Manchester United coach to work with him at the Stadium of Light.

Kidd was first choice and the deal looked done, but at the 11th hour Kidd joined Neil Warnock at Sheffield United instead.

Kidd is currently working for Paul Hart at Portsmouth where he is held in high regard.

But like Hart he is only working to the end of the campaign, and no certainty that he will remain with Pompey next season.

One sticking point might be Kidd's preference to remain living in the Manchester area, and he returns to the north from the south coast club after games.

Meanwhile, Ipswich's pre-season plans are still up in the air.

Travel agents were contacted by former manager Jim Magilton about arranging a trip to Germany and Austria for the week ending July 25.

But no definite plans were made, and Kean might decide to take his players to his native Republic of Ireland.

Last year they the Blues went to Northern Ireland and played Cliftonville, Donegal Celtic and Glentoran, all in Magilton's home city of Belfast.

During his tenure as Sunderland manager Keane took the Black Cats to the Republic of Ireland where they played in Dublin, Galway and his home town Cork.