Henrik Larsson has revealed that he was offered the Celtic manager’s job halfway through Ronny Deila’s two-year term in charge of the hoops.
The Swede has regularly been linked with a return to Celtic in some capacity but by his own admission his record in management is nothing special with two spells in charge of Helsingborgs failing to bring much in the way of success.
Larsson was recently close to being appointed as manager of Southend but that move collapsed when Tommy Johnson took up an option elsewhere rather than join Larsson’s backroom team at the League One side.
Southend have picked up just five points from 17 matches but such is his keenness to get a foothold in the game the former Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United striker would have jumped at the chance to move to Roots Hall.
Larsson was mentioned in dispatches with the recent vacancy at Hibs but told Chris Sutton in an interview with the Daily Mail that he rejected the chance to take over from Deila:
Chris Sutton: I suspect it would be difficult for you to take a job in Scotland other than you-know-who?
Henrik Larsson: I would have to agree. I was offered the Celtic job once, around 2015. I was manager of Falkenberg. I had a meeting with the owner and another member of the board, and they wanted me. But I saw some things. I asked them a few questions about different things and I wasn’t really pleased with the answers I got.
Deila lasted another season but announced his departure before the end of the 2015/16 season with Brendan Rodgers brought in as his replacement.