Dan Petrescu has ruled out taking over from Neil Lennon at Celtic, telling DigiSport that he will not return to the dugout until the end of this season.
Almost a week after Lennon’s second spell in charge of the Glasgow giants came to an end, we are no closer to finding out who will be leading the riposte against Rangers next term.
Walter Mazzarri, Mick McCarthy and David Wagner have all been linked with the job, although Celtic legend Paul Lambert removed his hat from the ring before parting company with Ipswich Town on Sunday.
And Petrescu has now done the same, ruling out the prospect of an imminent move to Scotland.
“Even if I’m called by Celtic, I can’t train now. I say that until the summer, 99 percent, I will not go to any team,” said Petrescu, who famously defeated Lennon’s side in the Champions League qualifiers with Romanian outfit Cluj in 2019.
Petrescu, the former Chelsea, Bradford and Sheffield Wednesday defender, led Cluj to a trio of league titles between 2018 and 2020 but departed his most recent post at Kayserispor due to personal reasons.
“I had a problem and I had to leave, unfortunately. I can’t train for a while. After I solve my problem, I will try to train again,” the 53-year-old added.
Lennon’s former assistant John Kennedy has taken over Celtic in the interim, leading the Hoops to a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen this weekend.
There were a few green shoots of positivity on show at Parkhead too, with Celtic dominating the game in a manner more reminiscent of the Brendan Rodgers’ era, moving the ball with pace and purpose while pressing higher up the pitch.
Although, with Petrescu keen to kick-start his managerial career again after some time off, could Celtic come calling once a dismal 2020/21 season has been consigned to history?
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