'Forward thinking' ex-Celtic star who flopped at Hibs touted as next Scotland manager amid Steve Clarke verdict

Ex-Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew has revealed the qualities he believes the next Scotland head coach must have if the national team are to get the best out of the current crop of players.

Mulgrew, who won 44 caps for the national team during his 20-year career, believes current head coach Steve Clarke “deserves massive credit” for the job he has done with the Scottish national team, but would like to see a more ‘forward thinking’ coach take the reins in the future.

“Steve Clarke's done a great job with Scotland,” said Mulgrew. “We are quick to forget how he got us to these major tournaments for the first time in a long, long time. Then you get to these tournaments you then come up against top opposition who have got there as well, and it becomes a bit more difficult.

Charlie Mulgrew believes Scotland should appoint a 'forward thinking' head coach. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

“You leave yourself wide open to criticism when you play against these teams, because you've got to that level and you're almost a victim of your own success. It's the same as getting in this division in the Nations League, you're in the top division, you're against these top teams. So it's going to be difficult.”

Asked if he felt it was time for a change in the Scotland dugout, the 38-year-old admits Clarke “probably deserves a bit more time” but called for a change of direction when Clarke does eventually leave, naming former Celtic team-mate Shaun Maloney as someone he believes would be a “really good Scotland manager.”

“I would like to see a manager that comes in with that sort of philosophy who wants to have possession,” explained Mulgrew. “I think that if he was to ever leave, I think that I would like to see a possession based high-press manager in there to see how Scotland would do.

Could Charlie Mulgrew's former Celtic team-mate be in with a chance of being the next Scotland head coach? Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

“Scott McTominay was at Manchester United and he's now at Napoli, Billy Gilmour was at Brighton and he’s now at Napoli too. We’ve got Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Ryan Christie - players that play in possession based teams at the top level of the game. It doesn’t have to be someone who has got a lot of experience, but somebody who's got a possession based approach, presses high and is a forward thinking coach.

Maloney is currently managing Wigan in England’s League One after a tough spell in the dugout at Hibs, where he was sacked after just four months in charge. In a chat with Gambling.com, Mulgrew added: "I think somebody like Shaun Maloney would be a really good Scotland manager. He's worked under Roberto Martinez at Belgium, and I think he's a real forward thinking coach that likes to have possession. So somebody like that I think would be really good for Scotland."