Noel Whelan believes that new Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou could be gone before the turn of the year, saying that handing him a 12-month contract signifies that the Parkhead hierarchy do not fully trust the 55-year-old.

The Lowdown: Celtic building towards 2021/22

Moving into 2021/22, Celtic fans will be delighted to have finally received some much-needed managerial clarity after going more than 100 days without a permanent head coach before appointing Ange Postecoglou.

Rebuilding the squad has began in earnest, with the Hoops being linked with moves for Ko Ikatura and George Baldock.

The Latest: Whelan believes Postecoglou could be gone by the turn of 2021

However, BBC pundit Whelan has taken a rather dim view of the former Yokohama F. Marinos manager’s prospects at Celtic in a recent interview with Football Insider, stating:

“If he does not hit the ground running he is going to come in for it, simple. That is what happens when you take over at a club like Celtic.

“The fact that the club only gave him a rolling one-year contract speaks volumes. They are not clearly convinced either. If Postecoglou had the full backing of the board he would have been given a three-year contract.

“He has got a lot of work to do to convince the players and to convince the fans.

“If there is a sizeable gap between themselves and Rangers at Christmas time you could see the club start looking for a replacement. It would not surprise me.”

The Verdict: Whelan's comments are harsh

The former Aberdeen forward rightly points out the expectation levels and immense pressure to succeed at an enormous club like Celtic, but his scathing criticism of Postecoglou, and in particular his contract situation, is a tad harsh.

This is standard practice at Parkhead - they operate with almost every manager on an initial 12-month rolling contract basis; recent examples include Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and Ronny Deila.

Three-year deals may provide extended continuity in football, but they don’t necessarily guarantee success. Only time will tell with regards to whether Whelan is proved right or wrong about Postecoglou, but the manager at least deserves to have some chance to prove himself rather than being judged before a competitive ball is kicked in his Celtic tenure.

In other news, Celtic are considering a move for this Manchester City defender.