Speaking to The Daily Record (print edition 10/03, p.57), former Blackburn Rovers striker and pundit Chris Sutton has stated that he believes Preston North End boss Alex Neil would be a good appointment at Celtic.
The Preston manager has been linked to the Celtic job in the past, although it is not yet known whether he would be on the club’s list to potentially replace interim coach John Kennedy, who took over from Neil Lennon in February following his resignation.
Sutton often gives his thoughts on his former club Celtic both in the written press and as a pundit on television and he has been speaking openly about who he would like to see take the helm at Celtic Park next season.
After initially discussing the possibility of Sean Dyche becoming manager of the Bhoys, he went on to mention Preston’s Neil.
“Alex Neil is another one,” said Sutton.
“He gets a bit of a bashing at times for the job he does at Preston but I don’t see them as a team with a budget up there with the teams who are going to push for promotion.
“They play a decent brand of football, he’s an organiser and knows the Scottish game,” he added.
Prior to becoming Lilywhites boss in 2017, Neil was in charge of Hamilton Academical between 2013 and 2015, achieving promotion up to the Scottish Premiership through the second division play-offs.
He departed his native Scotland to join Norwich City in January 2015 before making the switch to Preston two years later.
Neil also played the majority of his playing career in Scotland too. He spent his youth career at Dunfermline Athletic before moving to Airdrieonians where he spent the 1999-2000 season. He had spells at both Barnsley and Mansfield Town in England before settling at Hamilton as a player, spending 10 years at the club before becoming player-manager.
