BRENDAN Rodgers will lure brassed-off fans back to Parkhead in huge numbers next season if he is appointed manager – by getting the Scottish champions to play “the Celtic way” once again.

That was the confident prediction last night from Nigel Worthington – the former Blackpool, Norwich City, Leicester City and Northern Ireland boss who is also Rodgers’s cousin.

The 43-year-old has emerged as the favourite to succeed Ronny Deila at Celtic after it was confirmed this week that he was one of the candidates who had been interviewed about the vacant position.

The prospect of the man who led Swansea City into the Premier League for the first time in their history and then took Liverpool to the brink of their first English title since 1990 taking over has been rapturously received by most supporters.

Worthington believes they are right to be excited due to the attractive brand of attacking football he knows his relation will demand the Celtic team play if he becomes the 18th manager in their 128 year history.

Crowds have fallen dramatically at Parkhead in the last four seasons due to the absence of Rangers from the Ladbrokes Premiership as well as a widespread disenchantment with Deila’s tactics and the performances of the team.

The Norwegian’s stubborn refusal to deviate from his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation – even in domestic matches at home against lesser opposition – has frustrated those fans who grew up watching their heroes entertain as well as win.

“I think it’s a job Brendan would cherish,” said Worthington. “As far as world football is concerned, Celtic are right up there with any club anywhere. Yes, he has managed at a high level in England, but I don’t think he would have any issues taking it.

“One thing you know about Brendan is that his team will play a passing game. He’s got his principles and beliefs. If you go back to his days at Watford, Reading and Swansea, his sides have always passed a ball.

“It didn’t work out for him at Reading, but at Swansea things really took off for him and that’s what attracted Liverpool. But for an unfortunate slip up by Steven Gerrard which gave a goal away against Chelsea his team might just have won the Premier League. There is a fine line between success and failure in football.

“I think Brendan would play a 4-3-3 formation at Celtic and have two wide players really bombing forward. He would also have two midfielders coming up behind in support of the strikers. I would imagine he will continue to play a very attack-minded game.

“As well as being tactically astute, Brendan excels at the man management side of the job. He will keep the Celtic players buoyant. He understands the psychology of the game. He knows when a player needs an arm over their shoulder and a cuddle and when he needs to be sterner and give them a telling off.

"I think he’s got all the credentials needed to take over at Celtic and be a success.”

Worthington, who grew up near Rodgers in County Antrim, enjoyed a long and distinguished playing career in England with Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, Stoke City and Blackpool as well as with his national team whom he represented 66 times.

The defender cum midfielder moved straight into management with Blackpool when he hung up his boots and then spent spells in charge at Norwich, where he won the First Division, Leicester, who he kept in the second tier, and Northern Ireland.

Rodgers took an altogether different route into the dugout. His hopes of becoming a professional footballer with Reading were dashed as a young man due to a knee condition and he had an unremarkable playing career with non-league clubs Newport, Witney Town and Newbury Town before retiring aged just 23.

Worthington, though, believes the crushing disappointment which his cousin suffered as a player simply fuelled his ambition to do well in the game as a manager and has been partially been responsible for what he has subsequently achieved.

“There are different ways into management,” he said. “You could count the number of top level players who went on to become top class coaches on the fingers of one hand. A lot of players who have had shall we say indifferent careers have kicked on when they have moved into management.

“Brendan had a very bad injury which cut short his playing career. That forced him to go down the coaching route. It kept him involved in the game of football and he worked his way up from there.

“Lesser players have got to work harder and think about the game more. That mentality goes with them from their playing days and is very beneficial. Doing well as a manager requires a strong mentality, great focus and inner drive. Brendan has all those qualities.”

Rodgers, who has been without a job since being sacked by Liverpool in October last year, this week described Celtic as “one of the iconic clubs in the world” in an interview with Sky Sports and confessed he was keen to return to work this summer. “There is an opportunity there for somebody to go into a great club,” he said.

Worthington revealed that nobody in his family had supported Celtic – Rodgers is a childhood Sheffield Wednesday fan –but recalled that they had all been aware of the success and stature of the Glasgow club growing up.

“Our families were very close,” he said. “There’s no Celtic connections there. But there are large communities of Rangers, Celtic, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal fans all over both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

“When you are youngsters growing up you just want to watch football and teams who are playing at the top of the table. There wasn’t much football on television when we were young, but Rangers, Celtic, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in their heyday. Growing up the likes of Danny McGrain was a household name in Northern Ireland.”

Brendan Rodgers could be set to become just as well known in Glasgow and Scotland if he is appointed Celtic manager and just as revered if he delivers success.