Report: Darren O’Dea and Stephen McManus leading race for Bhoys job

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According to The Scottish Sun, Stephen McManus and Darren O’Dea are in the running to replace Damien Duff as first-team coach at Celtic.

Neil Lennon confirmed over the weekend that Duff is set to leave Celtic. His contract with the club expires this summer, and it seemingly won’t be extended.

Duff has recently taken a role with the Republic of Ireland national team setup, so Celtic are seemingly willing to just let him go and find another first-team coach without other commitments.

Fans have been wondering who could come in. They want Johan Mjallby or Henrik Larsson, but it’s two other former Celtic players who may land the job.

It’s stated that McManus and O’Dea are prime candidates, with Celtic looking to promote from within. McManus is currently Celtic’s reserve coach, whilst O’Dea is Under-18 boss at Parkhead.

McManus, 37, racked up more than 200 appearances for Celtic in his playing days, winning three league titles. O’Dea’s playing career wasn’t quite as successful, making 70 appearances for Celtic.

He returned to Parkhead in September, leaving Motherwell for a return to the Bhoys. It seems that he is highly rated at Celtic, making great progress at the age of just 33.

McManus may be favourite, as the step from reserve boss to first-team coach seems reasonable, but don’t count out O’Dea if Celtic go with an internal appointment.