McGuinness confirmed as Celtic performance consultant

All-Ireland winning Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has been appointed as a performance consultant with Celtic, the Glasgow side have confirmed.

McGuinness confirmed as Celtic performance consultant

All-Ireland winning Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has been appointed as a performance consultant with Celtic, the Glasgow side have confirmed.

The Glenties man is expected to remain as Donegal boss however, spending three days a week in Scotland with a focus on the club’s academy structure.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for me on an individual level and I'm very thankful to Neil Lennon for giving me this chance and bringing me into the club,” he told the Celtic website.

"Obviously I work in amateur sport and the opportunity to work in professional sport in any capacity is a wonderful chance for me and one I'm looking forward to."

On the job, which will be based at Lennoxtown and help the development of the club’s young players, the 39-year-old added: "You are really looking to create a finished product that is good enough to be pushing for the first team and creating a stronger squad at the club.

"We will hopefully look at every single player as an individual project and move them forward as best we can.

"We will revaluate every couple of months and try and move them forward and give them the best opportunity to develop and grow within the club so they can put their best foot forward in making the ultimate step up to first-team football."

McGuinness had been in Parkhead on Wednesday night to watch Celtic’s famous victory over Spanish giants Barcelona and held talks with the club yesterday.

On his relationship with Neil Lennon, he said that his work with Donegal caught the attention of the Celtic manager: "I suppose the bottom line is that it has been through my work with Donegal.

"We started off at Donegal at a very low base, a low level, but we have worked very hard in moving the thing forward and getting people to up a level and ultimately getting success on the pitch.

"So I suppose Neil was looking in at that and watching that unfold. I was invited over then saw around the facilities and met all the coaching staff and the support people.

"It was great for myself to see that as you are very interested from your own point of view from bringing things back into your own group. That's how it really developed.”

Lennon welcomed the appointment, saying: “We are absolutely delighted that Jim has agreed to join us. He is a first-class coach and manager and a high-quality individual who has achieved so much already in sport.

"We feel he will add real value to the club in terms of moving our young players forward and in making sure they develop in the right way for the benefit of the Club."

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