Dan Petrescu was once close to becoming Celtic manager

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Cluj manager Dan Petrescu says he was “very close” to becoming Celtic manager back in 2014.

The Hoops were searching for a replacement to the recently departed Neil Lennon when Petrescu claims he was offered the Parkhead gig. Celtic ended up appointing Ronny Deila who spend two years at the club before leaving in 2016.

“It was a friend of mine who invited me to Scotland,” the Romanian told the Scottish Sun. “But at that time I was with another club with a good contract.

“I told this agent I was really interested in being Celtic coach. I was at Dinamo Moscow and I know Celtic came with a good offer for me, but unfortunately it was the wrong time for me to take it.

“Was I close to accepting the job? Very close.

“Celtic would have been fantastic for me. It’s a great club. I think everybody in the world would want to coach Celtic. All the coaches.”

Would Petrescu have been a good Celtic manager?

Petrescu is certainly talking Celtic up prior to his Cluj side’s clash against them on Wednesday. If the 51-year-old isn’t tipping Lennon’s side to make the semi-finals of the competition, he’s been found waxing lyrical about the size of the club.

It’s all well and good, but not entirely relevant nowadays. Most Celtic fans know that Ronny Deila wasn’t the first choice to replace Lennon so it’s not exactly surprising to hear reports backing up that view.

How would Petrescu have done in Glasgow? Who knows. He probably wouldn’t have stayed for long – that much is clear. Petrescu has managed 15 different clubs (including Cluj twice) in the last 16 seasons. He seems like a good guy but one who doesn’t like to stay in the same place for too long.

It will be interesting to see how he gets on against Lennon over the next two midweeks. It certainly promises to be an intriguing battle.