There has been a lot of noise around Jens Berthel Askou possibly becoming Celtic’s next permanent manager in the summer.
John McGinn hailed the ‘refreshing’ job Askou is doing at Motherwell, after being told by Premier Sports host Darrell Currie that he is the ‘favourite’ for the Celtic gig.
The Aston Villa captain has an extra eye on Motherwell because his brother, Paul, is a regular starter under Askou.
“He loves him, obviously,” said the Villa star. “I think he is very methodical in what he does. Probably similar to other managers, in terms of the way they build up and focus on the details.”
Looking on from afar, McGinn added that the Celtic manager target is doing an ‘amazing’ job, and it’s ‘outrageous’ that Motherwell have only conceded 18 league goals this term.
Would you take Jens Berthel Askou in the event that Martin O’Neill leaves Celtic in the summer?
John McGinn praises Celtic manager target Jens Berthel Askou at Motherwell
Motherwell are currently sitting fourth in the Premiership table, and some pundits across Scotland think they are still in the title race.
But to provide an insight into what Celtic might get if they appoint Askou in the summer, McGinn explained that the Well’s boss is ‘very methodical’ in his approach, but is also ‘quite flexible.’
The Scotland midfielder added that it’s ‘brilliant to watch’ Motherwell play, as they have picked up several big results this term, including beating Celtic.
Darrell Currie: “John, what is your brother saying about it, because someone just messaged me, apparently, Jens Berthel Askou, is now the odds-on favourite to be the Celtic manager next season.
“What does he say about the manager? That dressing room, at the moment. And how things are going?”
John McGinn: “He loves him, obviously. I think he is very methodical in what he does. Probably similar to other managers, in terms of the way they build up and focus on the details.”
Currie: “Alan, any surprise, bookmakers’ favourite now for the Celtic job next season, Jens Berthel Askou.”
Hutton: “No, it’s a phenomenal job he has done so far. I said it at the game the other day, to implement that philosophy so quickly and early on. Yeah, they drew a few too many games at the start of the season.
“But to where they are now. You look like 20 clean sheets in 36 games. One loss in 19. They don’t concede. It’s like 18 goals conceded in the league. Every metric is incredible, so they should be up there. Just the style of football, everybody believes in it. Everybody is buying into it. They are going in one direction. The fans are loving it.
“Celtic are looking for a manager, and they want to play a certain style, so it doesn’t surprise me.”
McGinn: “It’s amazing, really refreshing to see. The most impressive thing for me is that he hasn’t brought any backroom staff. He came on his own, which is difficult to do, in a league that he probably didn’t know too much about until he arrived.
“What he has done is coached a way of playing and detail, which I have been fortunate enough to experience down here.
“But it’s clear to see that they are so well-coached. It’s brilliant to watch them play. Not only that, they are quite flexible in the way they do it. They change when teams try to combat them – it’s outrageous that they have only conceded 18 goals.”
Celtic and Motherwell’s stats this season
Not only are Celtic the champions of Scotland, but they also have a far bigger budget than Motherwell, yet the difference between the two on the pitch this season has been pretty clear.
Stephen Welsh, deemed not good enough for Celtic and a fourth-choice centre-back at Parkhead despite the defensive issues, is a regular starter at Motherwell and is performing very well.
Yes, the pressure between the two is night and day. But the performance levels are still very high.
- Celtic’s games: 27
- Wins: 17
- Draws: 3
- Defeats: 7
- Goals scored: 49
- Goals conceded: 28
- Clean sheets: 12
- Big chances created: 72
- Motherwell’s games: 27
- Wins: 13
- Draws: 11
- Defeats: 3
- Goals scored: 45
- Goals conceded: 18
- Clean sheets: 15
- Big chances created: 49
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