Celtic assistant coach John Kennedy looks set to remain at Parkhead after reported interest from Danish side FC Midtjylland.
The 39-year-old has been a long-term feature at the club, holding several different roles behind the scenes, including scout and youth coach after his unfortunate early retirement from the game.
Currently, Kennedy makes up part of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff and has held a similar role under the likes of Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.
The former Celtic defender also had a short spell as interim boss towards the back end of the 2020/21 campaign after the departure of Lennon.
Over the past few seasons, clubs in Scotland have reportedly been interested in the idea of making Kennedy their new manager.
Scottish Premiership sides such as Hibernian and Ross County have been linked with a move for the Celtic coach, who has spent the past eight seasons in the Parkhead dugout.
However, those moves have never materialised, with Kennedy instead remaining at the Hoops and playing his part in the trophy success of recent times.
Reports stated that Kennedy was part of a list of names the Danish side was looking into as a replacement for the out-going Bo Henriksen.
Having the opportunity to go and manage a European side may have been an enticing offer for Kennedy. However, according to the latest reports, he looks set to remain at Celtic Park.
As reported by Danish media outlet B.T, Midtjylland’s director, Claus Steinlein, has held talks with Barcelona academy director Albert Capellas about the role.
The Spaniard, who has previously held assistant roles at the European giants, as well as Borussia Dortmund and Brondby, now looks favourite to land the Midtjylland job after holding a secret meeting last week.
The report states that Capellas has the ‘desire and courage’ to take the job, which would make him the first foreign manager in the club’s history.
John Kennedy remains a key part of Celtic staff; his first managerial role will come along soon.
Although Midtjylland’s interest in John Kennedy ultimately came to nothing in the end, it has certainly been interesting to hear that he was amongst the names being discussed as a potential option for the job.
The assistant manager is highly valued at Parkhead, and it is now clear to see that he is also well-regarded at clubs, not only in Scotland but across Europe.
His time as a manager will come one day, and there is no doubting how good a coach he is. But, for now, he looks all but set to remain as part of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff.
And that is something that I am sure the 56-year-old will be delighted about, having created a good team on the Celtic bench, which also includes Harry Kewell and Gavin Strachan, to name just a few.
In other news, Champions League excitement rises as Celtic get set to discover opponents this week.
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