Lovenkrands
‘Next Hoops boss is patently obvious’
Peter Lovenkrands believes the perfect candidate to be the next Celtic manager is staring them right in the face.
It is someone he has coached against and likes on a personal level. His only issue, in fact, is that it would be bad news for Rangers, the club he played for and still supports.
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou is the man in question. The 43-yearold Dane whose side, Lovenkrands contends, can play a kingmaker role in deciding who will be crowned this season’s champions.
“Since Christmas I have felt that they are going to have the biggest influence on who’s going to win the title this year,” he said.
“I say that because Motherwell play the best football in the league.
“With their confidence and fearlessness, they are going to cause problems. They are going to take points off the top three.
“The way Jens has come in and done it here has been amazing to watch. He deserves so much credit for it.
“It’s even more credit to them that they can do it on their pitch. Imagine if they had a better surface.”
What has particularly impressed Lovenkrands, scorer of Rangers’ winner in the 2002 Scottish Cup final against Celtic, has been the evolution he has seen in Askou’s managerial style in the last three years.
“He was with Horsens when I managed in Denmark but it was very different,” he said.
“He played a back three and, at times, defensively a back five with the wing-backs. I would put them much more like the Celtic team I used to play against back in the day.
“And it was a big side. I had a young team (Fremad Amager), and it was a nightmare against them.
“They were much more physical than today’s Motherwell are. But I think it was the way he adapted to what type of players he had. I think that’s a sign of a good manager.
“But, since then, he has changed his style of play completely.
“He came to Motherwell; got the players he needed to have to play the style of football he wants, and he has done so well.”
It is a feat that makes Lovenkrands convinced he will be asked to sort out the issues at Celtic Park. He said: “I’d be very surprised if I don’t see Jens at Celtic next year.
“He is the perfect fit for them right now and I think they will recognise that and come for him in the summer.
“He knows the league, he knows what it’s like, he knows how to succeed in it.
“Imagine him doing that with a bigger budget, different players. I’m not saying better players, but players to suit his system.
“Imagine him doing that. I think the chance to rebuild at Celtic would suit him perfectly and I don’t think it would cost that much to go and get him from Motherwell.”
Crucially, too, he has no fears about his fellow Dane being able to cope with the extra intensity of managing an Old Firm club.
“Jens has been at FC Copenhagen, so he knows what it’s like. The pressure in Denmark is the exact same as it is here,” he said.
“On a personal note, I would not want to see him there because it could make Celtic really strong next season, so it’s a wee bit like ‘Oh no’.
“But it makes sense.
“If somebody’s been there, and instead of trying to go and get a manager from somewhere else who doesn’t know what it takes in the league and stuff, you have someone here who knows it now, who’s proven he can do it with a smaller team and a budget, then why not?”