Celtic assistant John Kennedy has enjoyed a remarkable rise.
Former Celtic favourite John Collins has told The Herald that he thinks John Kennedy could become Bhoys manager one day as he continues his rise at Parkhead.
Kennedy came up through the Celtic ranks as a player, winning two league titles as a senior player before injuries took their toll on him, and he was forced to retire at the age of just 26 on medical grounds.
Celtic didn’t let the former defender go far though, bringing him back to the club as a scout just months later, and his ascent at Parkhead started there.
Kennedy earned coaching qualifications to take charge of Celtic’s Under-19’s in 2011, then up to the Development Squad between 2012 and 2014, with Celtic clearly rating him highly.
Kennedy led his to three straight Development League titles and two cups, before becoming first team coach in 2014, working in that role under both Ronny Deila and Brendan Rodgers.
Celtic to the core, Kennedy chose not to follow Rodgers to Leicester in February, and was promoted again after his exit, becoming Neil Lennon’s assistant manager at Parkhead.
Kennedy’s rise, gutting fall and subsequent rise again has been remarkable, and whilst he’s still only 35, he’s been tipped for a huge future at Celtic by former colleague Collins.
Collins praised Kennedy for his great work at Celtic, and admitted that he could see him managing Celtic one day in the future, in a move that Bhoys fans may well support. He’s inexperienced of course, but he bleeds Celtic and has worked closely under a number of managers now, learning along the way – and Collins thinks it could help him become Celtic boss.
“He has done a great job,” said Collins. “He is a young coach who has worked with a lot of managers now. he has picked up different ways of doing things, gaining lots of experience. It’s great that he is still there because he is Celtic through and through. It’s nice that they have kept him.”
“I could see him managing Celtic one day. It’s a different ball game when you are managing, picking teams. But I think that might be in the future for him and I’m sure he will be thinking about that next stage. Maybe one day. You can work through the system at a club but it happens rarely nowadays. If there is a system and a philosophy and you know it, the people within the club then why not?” he added.
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