Celtic contenders: Ange Postecoglou and Scott Brown in frame for Parkhead return

Celtic are looking for a new permanent manager following the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers.

The club announced on Monday night that the process was already under way after appointing an interim team of Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney.

Here, the PA news agency look at some of the contenders for the job.

Ange Postecoglou

The favourite with the bookmakers and many Celtic fans. The Australian won five trophies in two seasons before leaving for Tottenham in the wake of clinching a treble in 2023. Celtic fans thoroughly bought into his style of football and his public comments about their club and few would ultimately begrudge him a shot at the Premier League at that stage of his career. However, the 60-year-old might prefer a new challenge, and possibly a break, after his eight-game spell in charge of Nottingham Forest.

Martin O’Neill/Shaun Maloney

The pair have been put in temporary charge but some positive results could see that arrangement extended. O’Neill, 73, has not managed since 2019, when he also had a brief spell at Forest, but his five-year, seven-trophy spell at Celtic in the early 2000s kick-started the club’s period of dominance. Some fans suspect Maloney was being lined up as Brendan Rodgers’ successor when he returned to the club as player pathways manager in June, but his managerial record does not support that theory. The 42-year-old, who left a coaching role with Celtic to become assistant to Roberto Martinez at Belgium in 2018, had a four-month spell in charge of Hibernian in 2021-22.
He was somewhat undermined by a transfer window that mostly saw Hibs sign inexperienced players, and was sacked after four months following a bottom-six finish and Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Hearts. Maloney returned to management with Wigan in January 2023. He was unable to prevent their relegation from the Sky Bet Championship after a three-point deduction and the Latics then finished 12th in League One after an eight-point punishment. He was sacked in March with the club 15th in League One.

Kieran McKenna

The 39-year-old Ipswich manager is reportedly admired by the Celtic board after leading the Suffolk club to consecutive promotions before their relegation from the Premier League last season. The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international’s career has parallels with Rodgers. His playing career ended prematurely because of injury and he coached at a big club in Manchester United before becoming a manager in his 30s.

Kjetil Knutsen

The 57-year-old Norwegian guided Bodo/Glimt to a 5-1 aggregate Conference League victory over Celtic in the 2021-22 season and has been consistently linked with top jobs across Europe. However, he has stayed loyal to the club he helped transform. Bodo have won four domestic titles under Knutsen and are well-placed for a fifth. Their European progress has continued. A Europa League semi-final appearance last season was followed by Champions League qualification. But Knutsen’s contract is set to expire in December and the timing could work for Celtic.

Scott Brown

The former Celtic captain is seen as a long-term candidate, but is still learning his trade as a manager with Ayr following a spell at Fleetwood. The 40-year-old led Ayr to the William Hill Championship play-offs last season and has them third in the table. Given the instability around the club, squad and league position, the timing does not look ideal for the former Scotland midfielder.