During a interview on RTE 2FMwith Tracy Clifford, Niall was asked if he would ever pluck up the courage to say hello to the fiery pundit. "Oh, stop. I mean, he’s the king, isn’t he? You can tell he’s very funny, obviously. He’s probably more relaxed than he lets on," said Niall. However, he was quick to clarify that the ball is firmly in Keane's court if a conversation is ever to happen.
"Absolutely not. He’d have to come to me and that sounds like that’s not going to happen," the singer added. "I’ve been in the room with him a couple of times. I actually met him a few years ago, but I don’t know if he’d...I met him, like, about 10 years ago at a Champions League game. But no, I’ve still yet to go near him."