Brendan Rodgers tips Scott Brown for Celtic return as manager but warns former captain timing is everything

Brendan Rodgers has tipped Scott Brown to follow in the footsteps of Billy McNeill by returning to Celtic as manager.

Rodgers spoke exclusively to Record Sport after digesting the shock news that his former Parkhead skipper has ripped up his contract as a player at Aberdeen and is ready to hang up his boots for good.

The Leicester City boss revealed that he has already invited Brown to travel south to the Midlands to discuss his new career path into management.

And, while Rodgers believes there may not currently be room for Brown in Ange Postecoglou’s back-room team, he is adamant the man who led the club to Nine in a Row as a captain is just setting out on the same pathway that led Lisbon Lion McNeill all the way into Celtic’s hotseat.

Rodgers said: “I do think that one day that could be the position for him but I’m not sure it’s the best step for him to go back right now.

“If you look at it, Ange is doing a great job and he’s very clear in how he works. Then, behind him, you’ve got a brilliant coach in John Kennedy who is there to support the manager and you also have Gavin Strachan and Stephen McManus.

“So you have good coaches there already and, below that, it’s always been Celtic’s way to bring through their own young coaches.

“I’m not saying Scott wouldn’t be a great addition to that. He would. And I’m not saying he needs to put distance between himself and the club either. It’s about him having the time to allow him to grow and develop in his career, wherever that is.

“But I definitely think there will be a pathway for him to go back to the club at some point in the future. He’s obviously been a fantastic player and captain of the club and he could go on to follow in the footsteps of Big Billy.

“I’m