Celtic supporters haven’t had much to cheer about this season but on Wednesday morning, they received a lovely present courtesy of their former manager at Parkhead.

Neil Lennon finally gave in and left the club, resigning after a torrid season in the Hoops hot seat. The Bhoys may have won the Scottish Cup back in December, but their league form has been woeful.

Rangers are now only seven points away from snatching the SPFL title away from Celtic so for any new manager coming in, it will be a struggle. This isn’t your usual scene in Glasgow.

For so long the green and white side have been the dominant force; something nine league triumphs in a row dictates. Yet, since Brendan Rodgers left them behind for Leicester, they have arguably never been the same.

Who takes over from Lennon remains to be seen. Plenty have been talked about but one of the most outstanding candidates could be Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard currently manages the number one ranked international team in the world – Belgium.

That alone means it’s farfetched for him to come to Celtic but according to Jim White, he’s in the frame for the vacancy.

If he does indeed swap Belgium for Glasgow, then he has the ability to revive Celtic. That’s primarily because he possesses similar traits and characteristics to Rodgers.

First and foremost, he’s dedicated on the training pitch. He is a proper coach, someone who leads sessions and strives for more from his players.

His former defender at Swansea, Angel Rangel once told Football League World the following:

“He’s a very smart person, a very good coach. He loves to work, he would be in the training ground at 6am and the last to leave at around 6/7pm. He wouldn’t show us a match, he would show us a few bits on the pitch and meetings, but we knew he spent hours studying the opposition to give us those three or four points to help us win the game."

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Clearly, Martinez is a meticulous coach. Though, most importantly when comparing the 47-year-old’s methods to Rodgers, he plays with a possession-based model.

Martinez introduced that facet to Swansea and then Rodgers succeeded him in Wales because he played in a similar way. The Spaniard also brought the same style to Everton, taking them to a new level by introducing quick passing football.

Leon Osman revealed the following back in 2014: “This season we are a possession team whether we win or lose. We live and die by that."

Both managers in question here have been described as flawed disciples of Pep Guardiola. However, no one can deny their quality. If Dermot Desmond wants to revive Celtic’s fortunes, there are few better candidates than Martinez.

He possesses all the qualities that made Rodgers such a success in Scotland.

AND in other news, Christie could be in trouble if Celtic hire 57 y/o coach "reminiscent to Craig Brown"...