Celtic have appointed Stuart McLaren as the club’s new Under 18s’ manager. The Scottish-Australian joins Celtic from the SFA, where he was the U16s’ coach. Interestingly, the 46-year-old played most of his football in Australia and came across Ange Postecoglou during his time there.
Speaking to Celtic FC, McLaren said that he has watched with pride as Postecoglou has helped rejuvenate Celtic’s fortunes after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in the summer. Postecoglou inherited a mess after the failed 10IAR bid and is in the process of rebuilding, winning the League Cup already.
“I’ve watched with good pride, as a fellow Aussie in a sense, as he’s gone on to achieve the things that he has, and it’s not a surprise to me that he’s started here in the fashion he has.
“I’m sure everyone connected with Celtic is thrilled with the impact he’s made, and we can all look forward to hopefully a period of success that Ange will bring.”
McLaren spent most of his playing days in Australia but made the move back to UK in 2011, before taking the helm as Stirling Albion boss in 2014 after a three year stint as Loughborough Uni boss. His time at Forthbank ended in 2016. However, he returned to coaching in 2018, taking a role with Scotland’s U16s’ as well as interim charge of the National Women’s Team. Clearly he is a coach with versatile experience and he is said to be highly regarded by the SFA, so it could be a coup for Celtic in the apparatus of producing young players and potentially finding the next Callum McGregor.
You can watch Stuart’s interview below.
