He told the Daily Mail
"The player that stands out for me in Ireland is Robbie Keane and I know him from when he was at Inter Milan.
"He was only there for a year and it was a difficult year for him but I think he is one of the best players that Ireland has and is a real match winner."
The 53-year-old starts work for the FAI on Saturday March the 1st has gone to watch Premier League games to watch Irish players.
He said
"Even though I don't start properly until March 1, I have been spending lots of time watching the English Premiership so I can get some idea of the Irish team.
"I am taking my orders from Trapattoni and will do whatever he asks me. We are both looking forward to the experience and we are both very happy. It will be great to be a full-time coach again and I am very happy to be working with Ireland.
"They are a good team and they have the outline of a strong squad but there is always room for improvement."