RONNY DEILA, the Celtic manager, believes that current captain Scott Brown has the necessary credentials to be a future manager with the Parkhead club.
The 29-year-old midfielder has already turned his mind to the coaching side of the game and was photographed in the dugout this week as the club's Under-20 side won the Youth Cup Final at Hampden on Thursday evening with a 5-2 win over Rangers.
The studious side of Brown is not in keeping with the public perception of the Scottish internationalist who cuts a laddish figure among the playing squad, but Deila has offered a different view.
"I think he can be a future manager, yeah" said Deila. "First of all you have to have the motivation to be it and he has that. Then it is about learning. He has progressed all his life as a footballer. He has stayed at the football club for a long time and in my opinion that is the sign of a good person. If you are a bad person you will never stay in a club for a long time. He has things that can get him to be a good manager.
"I think he will always be taken care of at Celtic and get his development and one day maybe he is ready for that task.
"I don't know what image he has. But the way I know him is as a very committed guy. He is very funny, he is always in a good mood. He hates to lose and he is a social guy. I don't see the wrong things in him. I heard also that he has changed more in the last years and got more mature but that is for everyone, not only him."
While Deila has applauded Brown's capacity to develop a different side to his game, he is wary of it detracting from his concentration on first-team duties. However, he does expect that contemplation of the game from a coaching perspective can bring out the best in the midfielder on the park.
"I think it is very positive for him," said Deila.
"It just has to be managed in the right way so it is not taking out his energy. But he is loving Celtic. He is a talented player and a talented coach as well. He has leadership in him. He wants to develop as a coach and I think you develop as a player as well when you start coaching because you have to really reflect. 'What do I do on the pitch and how am I going to tell the other players in a short and concrete way?' That is always a good thing, to reflect on why you are doing thing. It makes you a better player."
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