Rodgers insists Dons rival McInnes would be a great choice as new Scotland boss
Rodgers believes Dons boss has the skills needed to succeed Strachan
BRENDAN RODGERS has identified Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes as the perfect candidate to succeed Gordon Strachan as Scotland manager.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s top-of-thetable clash at Pittodrie, the Celtic manager believes his counterpart is the logical choice as the SFA search for a coach capable of leading the national side to Euro 2020.
Although Rodgers is yet to taste defeat at Celtic, McInnes’s Aberdeen have kept pace with the champions this season and go into the midweek clash level on points at the Premiership summit.
Rodgers previously backed McInnes as a contender for the Sunderland job but believes the 46-year-old made the right decision in turning down a move to the English Championship club at the end of last season.
‘Derek’s time will come,’ said Rodgers. ‘With Sunderland he made a very sensible decision in terms of seeing where the squad, club and ownership was at. He felt he was still in a really good place at Aberdeen.
‘I’m sure there will be other opportunities for him down the line. That could be at another club but I think he’d be a great choice for Scotland.
‘He has played at the top level in England, he’s played for Scotland. In terms of being able to revamp the technical idea, he’s someone who is hungry and he’s a passionate Scotsman. I see that in him.
‘He’s got a great brain for football and he’s someone who has the energy to carry it through.
‘I’m sure it would be really hard for him to leave Aberdeen and what he’s created there. But if it ever came to him to be the national
manager, I have no doubt he’d do a great job.’
Some of the wilder speculation regarding the Scotland vacancy would have Rodgers juggling his post with Celtic while managing the national team on a part-time basis.
The Northern Irishman says such an arrangement would demean the post.
‘The job deserves more than that,’ he continued. ‘It’s a fulltime focus. You could do it but, particularly at this time, you have to give the national team job more respect than being part-time.’
Rodgers and McInnes have a relationship that stretches back to the former’s time at Liverpool, when McInnes visited the club for an insight into its training methods.
The bond subsequently helped McInnes secure Anfield keeper Danny Ward on loan for Aberdeen, with Rodgers most recently entrusting the development of Ryan Christie to the Dons manager.
After taking Christie on a shortterm deal earlier this year, McInnes had hoped to secure a permanent transfer in the close season but Rodgers refused, insisting the former Inverness Caley Thistle prospect could yet have a future at Celtic.
‘I just felt Ryan is still in his cycle of development,’ he explained. ‘If you look at his body even, it was just going to be a matter of time.
‘I wanted him to go to a club where he could continue his development. He could have been in my squad, maybe played between five and ten games a season.
‘But it was better for him to be out playing maybe 40-plus games where he’s under pressure with a club who are expected to win, and under a good coach who can nurture him.
‘He wasn’t one I wanted to sell, he just needed that next loan period, then we get a player back next summer who’s played 70 or 80 games and both Celtic and Ryan will, hopefully, be in the position to benefit from that.’
If Christie is thriving at Pittodrie, Jonny Hayes has not fared so well since making the reverse journey in a £1.3million transfer.
The Dons’ best player for much of last season, the winger has been a fringe figure for his new club thus far.
‘Jonny understood his role coming here — we have a lot of games and he can play a couple of positions,’ said Rodgers. ‘It just takes time. Psychologically, you have to be ready to play for the big teams because there is a demand every single day in training.
‘Some come in and adapt quicker than others. He has done fairly well in the games he has been involved in, but I know his expectancy is to become even better — and that will happen in time.’
Celtic go to Pittodrie on the back of a hectic and leg-sapping schedule that saw them beat Hibernian 4-2 in yesterday’s Betfred Cup semi-final barely 60 hours after the conclusion of their Champions League defeat away to Bayern Munich.
In contrast, Aberdeen have had more than a full week to prepare. Rodgers, however, doesn’t necessarily see that as an advantage for the home team.
‘I’m sure Derek will be happy he has that time to prepare,’ he said. ‘But you can have too much time. Sometimes it’s easier to be in a rhythm to be playing.’
Rodgers admits Aberdeen have gone up a gear in terms of consistency but refuses to read too much into the current Premiership table.
The Celtic manager added: ‘It’s very early in the season. I always say have a look at it after ten games, see where you are, but it’s still early and you move on to the
next ten.’
‘RYAN ISN’T ONE I WANTED TO SELL. WE’LL GET THE BENEFIT OF THIS LOAN NEXT SEASON’