Roy Keane could play a part in Ireland’s World Cup preparations later this year.Heimir Hallgrimsson is eager to get the former Irish captain and assistant manager in to speak to the players.The Ireland boss met Keane at Wembley last November, when the Boys in Green suffered a second-half meltdown to England in a 5-0 defeat.Hallgrimsson is inviting high profile, ex-players to speak to the squad ahead of the qualifying campaign that starts in September.It’s not a new venture, as Ireland legends like Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane have been involved in caps presentations to players. But Hallgrimsson wants to gauge Roy Keane’s interest in addressing the players before or during the World Cup campaign. “I did it in Jamaica and I really like to involve former players and legends to come into camp and talk to the players,” said Hallgrimsson.“I flew with Shay Given from Manchester on Tuesday and told him he should come into camp and stay with us for one or two days.“It would be nice, but he’s doing the commentary for the game against Senegal, so maybe at a later stage. But for me, it’s connecting the past to the present.”Hallgrimsson spent most of this week in Cork, meeting players and coaches at Cork City and Cobh Ramblers.Although Keane lives in England, he regularly returns home to Leeside and Hallgrimsson was asked if he has plans to meet him.“We’re going to have a coffee at some point,” said the Ireland boss. “I don’t know what he would think about (coming into camp), if we are speaking about him in this sense. But I just want to connect the past to the present.“The cap presentation with Robbie Keane was really good as he sat with the players and spoke about his career.” Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.