Celtic legend Alan Thompson insists Eddie Howe is the right man for Parkhead - because he comes from the same school of thought as Brendan Rodgers.
The former Bournemouth boss remains the frontrunner to take over the Celtic hot seat at the end of the Premiership campaign.
Thompson, who trained as a coach alongside Howe, tipped the 43-year-old to be an instant hit with fans if he arrives in Glasgow's east end.
He believes the Englishman can recapture the magic of the Rodgers era and battle Rangers for the Premiership title next term.
Thompson told Sky Sports believes the Leicester boss and Howe see football in the same way.
He said: "I know Eddie well. I done my UEFA pro-licence with him, and I think he would be a perfect fit for the job.
"He's young, he's exciting and he's very much cut form the same cloth as Brendan Rodgers. He has a great philosophy on the game.
"I think if Eddie was to get the job, I think he recruits the type of players and plays the type of football that the Celtic fans would really enjoy watching. "
Thompson has urged the club to move quickly with an appointment ahead a huge summer overhaul - admitting he thought the new gaffer would be at Parkhead before the end of the campaign.
He added: "I thought they might have brought a manager in before now to give him a chance to reassess the situation, reassess the players, and to see what he needs to do.
"It's a massive rebuild at Celtic that needs done now. so it's a huge summer from the top with the new chief executive down to the new manager.
"The sooner they bring someone in, whether it's a John Kennedy, or an Eddie Howe, or an Rafa Benitez, it's a massive job for Celtic because they need to be competitive.
"They haven't been competitive this season which isn't good enough. Second in Glasgow is nothing."
