John Kennedy insists Damien Duff replacement does not need to have Celtic connections

First-team coach left Parkhead club because his family had struggled to settle in Glasgow

Damien Duff left Celtic to become assistant manager of Republic of Ireland. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS

Celtic are considering external candidates as well as current members of staff as they look to replace Damien Duff as first-team coach.

The former Chelsea winger has left the champions to become assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland under their new boss Stephen Kenny.

John Kennedy, the Celtic assistant manager, revealed that Duff was reluctant to leave the club but made the decision as his family had struggled to settle in Glasgow.

Former Celtic players Stephen McManus and Darren O’Dea, currently coaching the club’s development and under-18 squads respectively, are among the contenders to succeed Duff in manager Neil Lennon’s first-team backroom staff.

But Kennedy insists a previous link to Celtic is not a prerequisite for the role.

“Me and Neil have spoken about things although no decision has been made yet,” said Kennedy.

“We’ve looked at a number of options. There are guys within the club who could fit the bill while we’ve also got a lot of connections outwith those who also fit the bill.

“It’s not a necessity to have a Celtic background. But probably an understanding of the club and the job will help. It makes sure you’re not caught by surprise coming in. We won’t rush into an appointment.

“Damien was a great addition to the coaching team. He’s a terrific guy and with a great mentality. I don’t think it’s been out yet, but he has a young family who had to move back to Ireland. They didn’t settle.

“Damien was fully committed to Celtic, spent so much time in his role. But, ultimately, he had a young family who needed his support back home and he had to make a very tough decision. He was gutted.

“But it wasn’t the FAI taking him back to Ireland, it was his family. Secondary to that, the FAI job became available. It was disappointing to lose him. But we understood. We’ll look to confirm his replacement in the coming weeks.” Kennedy, meanwhile, says Celtic’s recruitment plans for the 2020-21 season are underway despite the uncertainty over its starting date posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

While new faces will be sought to freshen up the squad, Kennedy stressed the determination to hold onto star performers such as top scorer Odsonne Edouard.

“We’ll probably look at two or three signings to keep things fresh,” he said. “We’ve got a strong squad and we’re really happy about that. But you’re always looking to see what can make us better. Recruitment is always on your mind, although of course there’s still a lot of uncertainty about football at the moment. When are transfer windows going to open and close?

“There’s usually about 300 names that are linked with Celtic every summer. We also want to keep our best players, keep the core of the group.

“The only thing that would change that is if we get a huge offer that demands we consider it plus a player wanting to go. But we’re not certainly looking to let our best players go. They’ve been very important for us.”

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