Some Enzo Maresca unknowns have been cleared up since summer Celtic interest

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Before Brendan Rodgers became the clear option to be the new Celtic manager, there was Enzo Maresca.

The Italian, then coach at Manchester City, was spoken out probably more than anyone in regards to the Hoops job. After our success with the City Football Group when hiring Ange Postecoglou, it was strongly felt that we would go down the same route for his successor.

The talk was genuine at the time, with reports saying that we would make an approach to speak to him after City’s UEFA Champions League final win over Inter Milan.

Maresca was a big contender to be our new manager. He had a decent career as a player and coach to fall back on, yet there were plenty of unknowns too. A poor six-month spell in Serie B with Parma had many feeling he wouldn’t be up to the Celtic job.

The truth is that we’ll never know how he would have fared in Glasgow. The club went down a much more proven route with Brendan Rodgers and the majority of us are glad about that. After a relatively slow start, there are surefire signs that the team is starting to fire under the former Leicester City boss.

Leicester, ironically, is where Maresca ended up. The Foxes are in the second-tier of English football these days but that isn’t looking like being the case for long. They are flying under the Italian who has proven a fair bit already.

Sure, his side have more money and a stronger squad than the majority of the division. But Leicester have won 12 of their 14 matches in all competitions so far this season.

When you consider one of those two losses was in the cup away to Liverpool, it’s been an excellent start for Marecsa. They sit top of the Championship and are ten points inside the automatic promotion places. It seems very likely that Maresca will be a Premier League manager next season.

The unknowns and reservations that existed surrounding him have been cleared up in the early part of the season.

For me, this proves that the Celtic board have their ear to the ground in terms of good managers at this point. Postecoglou was a truly brilliant hire, and Rodgers is likely to play out that way too. Maresca seems like he may have been as well, had we gone in that direction.

Well done to all concerned. But let’s hope it’s a good few years until we need to look at a new manager. Plenty to win under Rodgers before then.

In other news, Sead Haksabanovic wins Stoke City award but not everything is rosy for Celtic loanee