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Tony Mowbray unsure if Robbie Keane will stay at Celtic

Celtic striker Robbie Keane
Keane grabbed his first Celtic hat-trick at Rugby Park

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray admits he does not know if Robbie Keane will remain at the club beyond the summer.

The on-loan Tottenham striker scored all three Celtic goals in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock.

"That's not something that we get involved in," Mowbray told BBC Scotland following the quarter-final triumph.

"I'm just pleased that he's enjoying his football here and scoring a few goals. I'm delighted for him that he's got himself a hat-trick."

Keane has scored Celtic's last six goals and eight in total since his move north.

"It's a club he's supported all his life as a boy and now a man and for him to score a hat-trick, it's going to be pretty special for him of course," Mowbray said.

"And yet, like the rest of the team, he needs telling at half-time that the performance has got to be raised and he and everybody else did.

"What's important is though that he keeps contributing to the team as much as he does and working as hard for the team as he does and hopefully we can all benefit.

"Robbie Keane is a player that's been to Liverpool, Tottenham and Inter Milan. He's now at another one of the greatest clubs in the world and he's enjoying his football and yet financially the Scottish game is not in a position to match the English league or the Italian league.

"Robbie is a guy with not only responsibilities of love of football but responsibilities for his family as well and his future and for those decisions, when they come, I'm sure he'll make the one that's best for him and his family as well as his football career."

Mowbray felt his side needed to up their game in the second half against Killie and responded well to claim the victory.

"I definitely wasn't thrilled with the first-half performance," said Mowbray. "It needed to be raised and to be fair to the players they did raise it.

"Eventually we got the job done. Great credit to Kilmarnock, they worked us very, very hard, particularly in that first half. Ultimately the little bit of quality that we possess can finish a game.

There was probably the best and worst of a Celtic team today

Tony Mowbray

"That's the beauty of this club that we can have players of the quality of Marc-Antoine Fortune and Georgios Samaras sitting on the bench and both players, I'm pretty sure, would be starting in every other team in the Scottish Premier League and they came off the bench and did the damage.

"Samaras had a fantastic bit of play for one of Keane's goals, showing great desire to keep the ball in play. Edson Braafheid was obviously instrumental with a fantastic pass for Robbie's first goal and Fortune was a constant threat when the came on down the right.

"I'm happy enough but there's plenty to work on. There was probably the best and worst of a Celtic team today.

"I'm delighted for the supporters who came here and they've got a semi-final to look forward to and that will be a day when it comes along that we know we've got to go and win another football match for them. This club is all about the supporters and ultimately we're happy that we've given them something to cheer about."



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see also
Kilmarnock 0-3 Celtic
13 Mar 10 |  Scottish Cups
Moravcik hopes Celtic keep Keane
10 Mar 10 |  Celtic


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