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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Aidan Smith

Charlie Nicholas shares Brendan Rodgers Celtic fear as he urges against manager move

Charlie Nicholas has shared his fears over a potential Brendan Rodgers return to Celtic as manager.

The recently axed Leicester City boss is the outright favourite to replace Ange Postecoglou at Parkhead and it is understood that Hoops chiefs have held talks with him.

An appointment would see Rodgers return to Celtic Park, where he had a hugely successful stint, before he departed for the Foxes in the Premier League four years ago.

That move resulted in backlash from certain quarters of the Celtic support and Nicholas reckons some will never forgive him for exiting the club with a treble still on the cards.

He wrote in the Daily Express: "We'll have to see which way the Celtic board goes. But at least the new manager will begin from a position of strength.

"However, I wouldn't take Brendan Rodgers (inset) back as I believe he burned his bridges when he quit in February 2019 with Celtic top of the Premiership.

"Lawwell is also back in the building as chairman, so I just don't think he fits the club anymore - even if his style of play would suit the squad.

"Really, I can't see how that relationship with Lawwell could ever be mended."

Meanwhile, Harald Brattbakk claims Kjetil Knutsen has “all the qualifications to become a success” if he ends up at Celtic.

The Bodo/Glimt boss is one of several names reported to be in the frame to replace Ange Postecoglou, who moved to Tottenham last week.

Reports also claim talks between the Norwegian and Ajax about a possible move to the Dutch club broke down.

Knutsen steered Bodo/Glimt to a 5-1 aggregate win over Celtic in the Europa Conference League last year.

Former Celtic striker Brattbakk, best known in Scotland for scoring the clinching goal in the Hoops’ 2-0 victory over St Johnstone in 1998 which won the league and ended Old Firm rivals Rangers’ dreams of an historic ’10-in-a-row’, said: “He would be a good candidate.

“He was picked by Bodo/Glimt, they had been scouting him for years, so they knew his qualities.

“He has all the qualifications to become a success.

“But it also depends on – if he should come – what conditions he would be working under as well.

“You know that in Scotland, one thing is winning the league but what you do when you come to Europe, that is the next step.

“But he has also proved with less resources that he can do well. So he would definitely be a good candidate.

“It would also depend on the squad he gets but he has also been very good at picking the players he needs and wants.

“Maybe he has more room to play at Celtic than at Bodo/Glimt so it will be interesting to see how that story unfolds.”

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