Celtic insider drops huge hint over Brendan Rodgers' future and says ‘it's difficult to last more than three years'
Rodgers, 52, has just one year left on the three year deal he signed when he sealed his return to Glasgow for a second stint in the dugout.
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Brendan Rodgers is entering the final year of his contract
Credit: PA
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Gordon Strachan suspects the Hoops boss could be on his way out
Credit: Darren Fletcher
The Northern Irishman has confirmed he's held talks with Dermot Desmond and Celtic higher-ups about a possible extension but he's still not any closer to penning a new deal.
Strachan knows all too well about the stress and pressures that comes with managing the Parkhead club - having spent four years in the role between 2005 and 2009.
And he suspects the current Celtic manager could call it quits after another successful season with his boyhood club.
Strachan remains very much in the know in the East End of Glasgow as his son Gavin is one of Rodgers' right-hand men in the Hoops dugout.
He believes Desmond and Co must be shrewd in negotiations and not tempt Rodgers into naming his own terms - even if they're desperate for him to stay on.
Strachan said: 'I wouldn't like a lifetime deal. Then no matter what happens you've got this deal. I don't think that's got to happen because both parties in this are not stupid.
'They know that even Brendan, and if you look at most managers, they spend about three years and then for most Celtic managers, they would like to go on somewhere else.
'It's not the club, the club's fantastic. Sometimes the fact that you're repeating yourself against the same teams week in, week out on plastic pitches. It's not easy to keep momentum going.
'You're going and playing in front of people with a small stadium, plastic pitches. There's no easy repetitiveness with the media. You're literally saying the same thing every week the media are asking the same questions every week, dealing with the same thing.
'The bonuses managers get at Celtic, you'll get European games, which is a great bonus for any manager. So that's what will entice you, but there's a problem of keeping that momentum going over a three, four, or five years period.
'It's not easy to motivate yourself week in, week out. Sometimes it's nice to have a refresher and go somewhere else. It's difficult for any Celtic manager to last more than three years.
'So I don't think it's wise, I don't think that conversation will take place on a long term contract."
Strachan has urged the Celtic board to be careful and not allow the current situation to affect performance.
Rodgers has made it clear that he won't allow the uncertainty around his future to impact Celtic's season.
But Strachan fears there are no guarantees and has told the Celtic hierarchy to minds at ease as soon as possible - one way or another.
He continued: 'The conversation will be how positive you are, are you still enjoying it, do you have any feelings about what to go at a specific time.
'Do you think you can last two, three, four years? If not, right, let's think about a short term contract. If you have a short term contract, we'll have the same conversation in a year's time.
'The players themselves then get a wee bit worried. Is the manager staying? Is the manager going? There becomes a grey area there.
'When I was at Southampton it was leaked that I was going to leave in the summer which made it difficult for the players because I think when it got leaked we were about fifth in the Premiership, fifth or sixth and I could see the players wavering after that because there was a kind of grey area.
'That is one of Celtic's problems if Brendan's only got a year to go, does he sign a new contract or does he not sign one.
"If he doesn't sign one, then it becomes that kind of, is he going, is he staying? Which he could do without when you're a Celtic manager, when you're going for the league.
'I think there'll be more pressure from Rangers this year. It's hard enough to deal with winning and dealing with the pressure of winning and winning another league without this creeping in all the time. You know, are you staying, are you going?'
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