Jens Berthel Askou has received praise from an unexpected source as former Rangers player Peter Lovenkrands describes him as the perfect fit to be the next Celtic manager.
Lovenkrands has been impressed by Berthel Askou's Motherwell side this season. Most people have, because no one could have expected the club to do as well as they have.
The former Rangers man described some factors that make Berthel Askou the perfect candidate for the Parkhead dugout.
He said to RecordSport: "He’s like flavour of the season. It's incredible what he’s done. They play the best football in the league. I’d be very surprised if I don’t see him at Celtic next year. By that I mean he’s the perfect fit for them at the moment.
"He knows the league, he’s been here, he knows what it’s like, what he does and how to do it. Imagine him doing that with a bigger budget, different players, I’m not saying better players, but a bigger budget to sign maybe better players and the style of play. Imagine him doing that at a club like that.
"I think it suits him perfectly, plus I don't think he would cost that much to go and get from Motherwell. If he’s going to go down to England and does well, you can forget about trying to get him up afterwards, money-wise. So I’d be very surprised if Celtic haven’t gone and got him in the summer.
Touching on the manager's experience, he said: "He’s been at FC Copenhagen, so he knows what it’s like. The pressure in Denmark is the exact same as it is here. He knows what it takes.
"When you see him, and you speak to him, he’s very calm. Sometimes you just don't know if he’s joking. It’s a wee bit difficult to figure out! But he has that mentality, and I wouldn't be worried about that at all. I think he knows what it takes to do that."
Although Lovenkrands gave him the highest amount of praise, he did admit that he would be gutted to see him at Parkhead: "On a personal note.. I actually wouldn't want to see him there! It would make them really strong potentially next season, so it’s a wee bit like ‘oh no’.
"But it makes sense. If somebody’s been there, instead of trying to go and get a manager from somewhere else who doesn't know what it takes in the league, you have someone here who knows it now, who’s proven he can do it with a smaller team and a budget, then why not? He’s right there in front of your nose, so it would make sense if they did do that."
The race continues
Nothing has been settled yet when it comes to the next Celtic manager. Robbie Keane remains a candidate, with his club making it clear they won't stand in his way, but Roberto Martinez and Berthel Askou are still in the race.
There is a lot of potential at Parkhead, and hopefully, the board will invest properly in the summer to give the manager the best chance of succeeding. It'll be an exciting time, so we have a lot to look forward to.