HOWE IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ENGLAND JOB, SAYS BARTLEY

MARVIN BARTLEY has long expected Eddie Howe to ascend to the lofty position of England manager.

Speaking to Sportsmail, the Livingston captain highlighted Howe as the most significant influence on his career.

The pair first worked together when Bartley was an emerging professional at Bournemouth and Howe took the midfielder to Burnley when he began a brief stint in Lancashire in 2011.

Howe would return to Bournemouth and transform them into a Premier league outfit, but Bartley never forgot the lessons imparted.

Now, as Howe closes in on the Celtic job, the pair could face off next season.

‘Eddie Howe would be the biggest influence I’ve had,’ said Bartley. ‘He gave me my opportunity, then took me to Burnley with him.

‘What a lot of bosses are trying to be now, he was doing a decade ago. The depth he went into, he knew everything about the 11 players you’d be up against, all their subs, their coaching staff and manager.

‘He’d tell you each individual player’s quirks, how if he dropped a shoulder this is what he’d do next, what way he’d go, all that kind of thing. His attention to detail was huge.

‘He took over and saved us from going out of the league after were given a 17-point penalty in administration — we survived on the last day of the season, then the next year we were promoted.

‘We were on a shoestring budget with a bunch of boys from non-league football, so I really believe he could end up doing any job he wants. I think he’ll manage England one day.’