Andrews ‘ playing career included Premier League appearances for Wolves, Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion, while he represented his country 35 times and featured at Euro 2012 when Giovanni Trapattoni was in charge of the Republic of Ireland.
He also had a chance to play for League Two at MK Dons, one of the 12 clubs he has represented throughout his 15-year career, which included 412 appearances in all competitions.
McDonnell, who has closely followed Andrews’ professional career as a player and coach, says, “He has always been someone who is aware of the world around him.”
“He was close to the owner at MK Dons, Pete Winkelman, and his standing there in his mid-20s was such that he helped recommend Paul Ince as manager in 2007.
At Wolves, they had previously played together. After that, Keith was taken with him to Blackburn.
“Keith has good interpersonal skills. He was always interested in the future and what was happening. He was speaking to and networking.
” He recognised it was a short playing career and maybe he realised that to stay in the game you had to have your eyes open to what was going on around you. “
After working for a clothing company, Andrews, who was 31 at the time, assisted in the squad’s selection of suits for the tournament.
According to McDonnell, “He had an entrepreneurial side.”
Andrews made his international debut in 2008 at the relatively late age of 28 soon after joining Blackburn, then a Premier League club, from League One MK Dons for around £1m.
He played for Ireland in 2009, but Thierry Henry’s skillful handling of the ball cruelly prevented them from winning the World Cup against France.
Although Ireland finished bottom of their group, which included Spain, Italy, and Croatia, Keith was probably one of the few to receive any credit, adds McDonnell.
Andrews announced his retirement from playing in August 2015, aged 34, to become first-team coach to Karl Robinson at MK Dons.
He said at the time, “I absolutely adore my new role, and this is the ideal setting for me to learn.”
I’m just football-obsessed. I never switch off for a second – even when I’m watching a game at home on the sofa, I’m analysing it.