Henrik Larsson not the man for Celtic job - Auld

CELTIC legend Bertie Auld last night begged the club not to give the manager’s job to Henrik Larsson.
Henrik Larsson, along with Jackie McNamara and Neil Lennon. Picture: Robert PerryHenrik Larsson, along with Jackie McNamara and Neil Lennon. Picture: Robert Perry
Henrik Larsson, along with Jackie McNamara and Neil Lennon. Picture: Robert Perry

The Swedish icon was linked with the role as Neil Lennon’s successor, but Auld is not convinced he has the experience to take over the mantle.

Auld said: “Henrik is a fabulous name and the Celtic legions adored him as a player. However, the club need a steady pair of hands at the moment, someone who can hit the ground running. With the greatest of respect, Henrik is not that man.

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“Sure, he might put bums on seats, but my old club need a manager who can come in right away to take control and start to organise things. The Celtic job is a massive one and, to be fair, Neil did well enough when he took over from Tony Mowbray. But the expectation levels are high and the demands ferocious at this club. Maybe Neil thought it was time to move on because of the continual selling of his top players. Over the past couple of years he has seen the likes of Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper, Ki Sung-Yeung and Kelvin Wilson move on. There has also been talk of Fraser Forster and Virgil van Dijk leaving this summer.

“As a former manager, I can tell you that is more than frustrating. So, any new man coming in will have to deal with such matters. And that’s where experience is so important.

“Henrik does not possess that quality. Not at this moment in time, anyway. Possibly his time will come, but I’m convinced it is not right now.”

However, former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner does not think the board will have a hard time selling an appointment like Larsson to the club’s faithful. He said: “Henrik is a young manager, he has a huge name as a footballer and had a huge career at Celtic and the fans would love that but whether that would turn into success as a manager, time would tell. Certainly it would be one that the fans would be happy about. I’m sure there could be a few names bandied around, the likes of Owen Coyle, Mick McCarthy or even Davie Moyes.

“Who knows about Davie Moyes, he could be one who wants to resurrect his career. I know it is not the competitive league that he has been in before but Celtic is a huge name.”

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