Forest ended their three-year exile in League One when they claimed the second automatic promotion slot this month behind champions Swansea City.

The City Ground is where Keane made his first impact on the English game after being signed by Brian Clough from Cobh Ramblers for £47,000 in the summer of 1990.

He went on to make 114 Premiership appearances before Forest's relegation from the top flight saw them accept a £3.75m offer from Manchester United for the midfielder in July 1993.

Keane is pleased to see his former club back in the Championship and is looking forward to going back to the City Ground.

"I'm delighted for Forest," he said.

"The fact that clubs like Forest, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday have been down there shows you how tough the leagues are.

"The pre-season game should be a good workout for us and I'm pleased to see my old club on the up."

Ticket details for the game have not yet been announced.

The Forest match is the second pre-season game to be confirmed so far.

Sunderland also host Dutch giants Ajax at the Stadium of Light on August 3.