Neil Lennon has insisted Celtic need a radical summer rebuild - around the never-ending influence of captain Scott Brown.
And the interim gaffer is adamant that if he lands the job permanently, the Hoops skipper will be at the core of the restructure.
The Parkhead troops are on the verge of an eighth successive title win having opened a 13-point gap at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership and are close to an unprecedented Treble Treble with a William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen looming on Sunday week.
However, after almost three years of unbroken domestic success, Lennon believes major changes are in the offing with the current group set to splinter.
Loan players such as Filip Benkovic, Oliver Burke, Timo Weah and Jeremy Toljan are due to go back to their parent clubs in the summer.
Free agents in the shape of Dedryck Boyata are set to quit and individuals such as Mikael Lustig and Craig Gordon are moving into the twilight of their careers.
Lennon believes a squad overhaul akin to the alterations Gordon Strachan had to make to the departed Martin O’Neill’s squad in 2005 is again required at the club going forward into season 2019-20.
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He said: “It is a rebuilding job. No question about that. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.
“Hopefully, with the [league] lead that we have, we can start to plan a little bit more and be a little more forceful on it.
“It was a rebuild [in 2005] and I think we need a bit of rebuild again. It is reminiscent.”
At this stage, Lennon has not been confirmed as the man to oversee any restructure with no definitive messages delivered as yet on his future.
However, if it is he who is chosen by the Parkhead board to take the full-time role, the caretaker boss has no doubts that any reshaping will be done with Brown at the very foundation of the building.
The Celtic skipper turns 34 in June, but Lennon has no concerns over age and absolutely no doubts the captain remains the one to lead through the immediate future after a hugely-influential show in the Old Firm success over Rangers two days ago.
Asked if he would build his team around Brown if he gets the job, Lennon said: “Absolutely. He is so integral to this club and this dressing room, on and off the field.
“He’s still fit as a fiddle and he is very experienced.
“He knows the psychology of these big games more than anybody, so you just leave him to it.
“If he walks on a tight line, then so be it. Some of us did. He knows the boundaries to work in.
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“He played brilliantly again on Sunday and in games like that you really need him.
“I am really glad for everyone [he stayed], but for him especially. He has settled down and is playing some great football at the minute.
“Two or three months ago, there was all this self-doubt, all this uncertainty about his future. You could see that in his performances as well.
“But he is a great captain and a great leader.”
