Parkhead job would be a dream and an honour, says Csaba Laszlo

FORMER Hearts head coach Csaba Laszlo says he is ready to return to management and would love to be considered for the Celtic vacancy.

The Hungarian was dismissed in January after more than 18 months at Tynecastle. Despite receiving fleeting interest in his services from Germany and Spain, Laszlo says that the idea of uprooting his family from Edinburgh was something he wanted to avoid.

In October last year, Laszlo expressed surprise that he was overlooked for the Celtic job that summer following the departure of Gordon Strachan from Parkhead. He admits he has not been approached by Celtic this time either, but still covets the role.

"I think for every manager it is an honour to train a team like Celtic. It's a huge club with a huge history," said Laszlo. "I must say I haven't spoken with anybody, but Celtic is a dream for every manager and to train a team like that would be fantastic."

The 46-year-old has managed to keep himself busy during his enforced time out but after almost two months he is ready to return.

"I want to get back into the game as soon as possible," he added. "If the right club is available I would like to get back into football.

"I have had a lot of things to sort out and also I have had a little more time for the family, but I think after two or three weeks I wanted to do something.

"I have been to a few games and next week I fly to Germany to watch some more matches and I wait for the next possibility.

"We decided for school reasons for my daughters to stay in Edinburgh for the next two years so I would want to stay in the UK. When I was a small child in the 1970s I would watch the English league and the German league and both leagues are very close to me.

"My agent has spoken with some clubs, but I haven't had any concrete offers. I have had some meetings in Spain and also Germany and in the last couple of days I met some sport directors, but I will decide and if it is possible I would like to stay here because of my family."

Despite his unceremonious exit from Hearts, now under the leadership of Jim Jefferies, Laszlo only has fond memories of his time at the club.

"It was a fantastic opportunity to work in Scotland," he said. "In the first year we finished third and I was voted manager of the year and in the next season we were in the fifth position and in the League Cup semi-final. I was very surprised that the owner decided to change the technical staff.

"He never gave any signals that he was going to do this. It was a key time with the (League Cup] semi-final just a few days away and I don't think it was the best decision.

"The team lost against St Mirren and suffered a little bit, but I wish for the team to finish in the top six. I think this is important for the club as in the 19 months I was there we had a good time, not just me but the players as well.

"Christophe Berra became an international player during my time there as did Lee Wallace and Andrew Driver jumped to the England Under-21 national team.

"I also gave Scott Robinson and Gordon Smith their SPL debuts and Craig Thomson is just 18 years old and he played for the first time in Europe against Dinamo Zagreb.

"Michael Stewart was another who had an invitation to the national team when they played against Argentina. Myself, the players and the supporters all had a good time during my reign and I hope to follow this work with another club in the UK."