Sir Kenny Dalglish believes Scott Brown will be a "huge loss" for Celtic, but has a warning for the departing skipper about combining playing with coaching.
The veteran midfielder has inked a pre-contract deal with Aberdeen where he'll form part of Stephen Glass' coaching team, as well as carrying on with his playing career.
Dalgish was player-manager at Liverpool toward the end of his career, winning a league title in the 1985-86 campaign.
And while he feels Brown's departure will leave a big hole at Celtic, he's told the 35-year-old that combining two roles will not be easy.
Dalglish wrote in his Sunday Post column: "He (Glass) has just made his first signing in Scott Brown and it certainly has the wow factor. What a brilliant piece of business.
"But I have to say Scott’s departure from Celtic will be a huge loss to the club. He will be sorely missed, I’m sure.
"Scott has been a brilliant servant and served the club with distinction.
"When he walks into the Pittodrie dressing room he will get instant respect for what he has achieved as a player.
"But he will also have to show what he is all about as a coach. In that respect, he is starting from scratch.
"Much will depend on how much responsibility on the training field Scott is given on a daily basis by Stephen. It’s a tough, tough job to combine playing and coaching, but it’s not impossible.
"I was player-manager at Liverpool and I was very fortunate to have a brilliant backroom staff around me.
"It allowed me to be a 'player' during the week at training. It was then up to me to pick the team for the game on a Saturday.
"I also had the added bonus that if I wanted to miss a training session then I could – and no one could argue with me!
"So, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the working relationship Stephen has with Scott and the other members of the backroom team.
