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McGuinness alongside former manager Ronny Delia last year. Jeff Holmes
New regime

Jim McGuinness expects to continue his role with Celtic under Brendan Rodgers

The former Donegal manager has just passed his Uefa ‘B’ coaching licence.

AS JIM MCGUINNESS spoke at the launch of Sky Sports’ 2016 championship coverage yesterday, he was interrupted by his own phone.

“Brendan Rodgers?” a member of the media joked. ”No, no, it’s a Dublin number,” McGuinness promptly replied.

A matter of hours later, the former Liverpool manager was confirmed as Ronny Delia’s successor at Parkhead.

McGuinness worked closely with the Celtic first team during Delia’s reign in charge after first joining the club as a youth team performance consultant in November 2012.

And the 43-year-old, who has recently passed his Uefa ‘B’ coaching licence, hopes the change of management doesn’t reduce his role with the first team.

“A lot of systems and processes are in place at the club and people fill those roles,” McGuinness said at Sky Ireland HQ, before Rodgers’ appointment was confirmed.

“The manager comes in and the manager will always decided that he wants to take x, y and z with him.

“But, probably, 80 per cent of the staff will always be there. That’s the way it works.

“Sports science predominantly won’t change. The way we look at developing our young players won’t change. There might be different bits and pieces, but nothing major.”

Peter Canavan, Senan O'Connell, Jim McGuinness, Paul Earley and Brian Carney McGuinness will be part of the Sky Sports team this summer. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

After guiding Donegal to All-Ireland glory in 2012, he was recruited by the Scottish Premiership side on a part-time basis by Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

He was initially tasked with helping in the development of the club’s young players during Neil Lennon’s time as manager but he has recently taken up a role coaching Celtic’s U20 side.

“I’ve been working more with the U20s, but in a coaching capacity,” he continued.

“I’ve also been meeting first team players when required on a one-to-one, pretty much straddling the two since Christmas.

“It depends on what the new manager wants. I’ve started my coaching badges. I’m on that journey and the 20s are giving me that experience.

“I’ve just completed the UEFA B and got confirmation that I passed it. You coach with that for year and the next stage is then the A badge.

“The thing for me down the road is to see where it takes me.

“It’s a different culture, a different sport and a different environment, so it’s about your own adaption. Do you need to be brought up in it? Do you need to have that finer detail that you take for granted as a Gaelic manager?”

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