“He Can Be a Manager” – Brendan Rodgers Tips Star for Management Career

Brendan Rodgers has said that Celtic captain Callum McGregor could be a potential future manager, praising his leadership qualities and understanding of the game.

The Irishman has a close relationship with the captain and has detailed many times about the professionalism of the former Scotland international, who flew to Majorca to meet Rodgers last summer when he was considering coming back to Celtic.

McGregor, who inherited the captaincy from Scott Brown, has proven his worth as a leader at Celtic, especially under former manager Ange Postecoglou. Despite initial doubts about his ability to fill Brown’s shoes as a midfield enforcer, McGregor has thrived in his role.

Speaking at a media conference on Friday ahead of the trip to St Johnstone, Rodgers discussed the transition from player to coach and manager, stressing that while the roles are distinctly different, McGregor possesses the necessary attributes to succeed in a managerial capacity if he chooses that path.

“I look at the likes of Callum. He can be a manager if he wants to be later on,” the Hoops gaffer told Celtic TV. 

“It’s the big what if. I think playing and coaching and management are three totally different things. When you’re coaching, you’re giving opinions and you’re working with the players.

“When you’re managing, you’re making decisions. It’s a totally different set up. I’ve got some fantastic players here that in their own right may want to go down that route.

“But it’s not always the ones that clearly stand out that become the manager.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of players that will tell you that they would have thought someone was going to be a manager and they’ve gone on and done ever so well.

“I would look at Callum as a start point and think that when the time comes for him if he wants to go down that route then he certainly shows a lot of the facets that you would need to manage and coach.”

The midfielder is still a long way off considering retirement from Celtic after he hung up his Scotland boots, but he may be interested in starting to complete some of his coaching badges if he chooses to go down that route. At 31, he’s still got a good few years left in his legs.