Tam McManus believes Aberdeen are ready to announce a managerial dream team that should excite the fans and tick every single box.
Record Sport revealed on Thursday night frontrunner Stephen Glass wants Celtic captain Scott Brown and England coach Allan Russell alongside him in the Pittodrie dugout.
It’s understood Brown is interested in becoming Glass’ No.2 while Russell is highly regarded in the Three Lions set-up.
McManus knows all three well from their time together at Hibs and he also played with Glass again at Dunfermline.
It was at Easter Road that Glass admitted he first had his eyes opened to coaching, when he started to work under Tony Mowbray.
McManus said: “If you hear the names Glass, Brown and Russell, they are exciting. There is a lot of freshness, youth and ambition.
“Stephen and Scott were quite friendly at Hibs and they still keep in touch.
“Stephen has clearly identified Scott as someone who can help him on and off the park. Scott is doing his A licence, he is coming to the end of his career and has won everything in Scottish football.
“He is a winner and he knows that would rub off on other people around him. Stephen is looking for somebody who can help both on and off the park
“Allan worked with Stephen from Carolina. He is now the striker coach with England and I look at the three of them and it is a good mix of everything.”
There has been a mixed reaction from the Red Army to the possibility of Brown coming to Pittodrie as No.2, although it would depend on whether or not he still has a part to play at Celtic next season.
McManus is in no doubt Brown would win over the doubters.
He said: “Scott is a bit of a pantomime villain with opposition fans. I have known Scott since he was a boy.
“If an opposition fan doesn’t boo you then you are not doing your job right. You have to take that as a compliment as a player.
“Most clubs and fans would have loved a Scott Brown through the years.
“I don’t think it would be any problem going to Aberdeen. He still has a lot to offer.”
There have been some questions raised over Glass’ credentials but McManus has seen him develop and insists he ticks all the boxes for Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack.
Glass currently works for Atlanta United, who have a partnership with Dons, and his focus on attacking football and player development makes him an attractive prospect.
McManus said: “Stephen is ready for it because he has been coaching a long time.
“He ticks a lot of boxes and the link-up with Atlanta is something that has been under-used but it has been difficult with Covid to get players across.
“He has been working with young players for a long time. I have seen him in action and his videos and he is good at
developing young players.
“Stephen also wants to play attacking football. He has played under guys such as the late Sir Bobby Robson, Gianluca Vialli and Tony Mowbray.
“They were all very attacking managers.
“If he was given the job I don’t think the Aberdeen fans would be disappointed.”
Glass has mostly been in charge of Atlanta’s second team and some people have pointed to their patchy results. But McManus said: “I’ve played in the USL and it is not about results, it is about developing players and getting ready for Major League Soccer.
“That is exactly what Stephen has done, bringing through a number of homegrown players into the Atlanta United team.
“The last time I was in America I went to watch Atlanta 2 team play Tampa. Atlanta were near the bottom and Tampa at the top but Stephen’s team were better.”
Glass was also interim boss after Ronald De Boer left Atlanta United. His results were far from impressive but McManus said: “Josef Martinez is the best player in the league and he did his cruciate at the start of the season and Stephen never had him at all. That was a big thing.”
