John Collins insists Inverness manager John Hughes should be a candidate for the vacant post get Celtic.
The Hoops are looking for a new dugout team after boss Ronny Deila and number two Collins vacated their roles, despite leading the club to a fifth successive top-flight title.
Collins and Hughes played together at Celtic and were colleagues at Livingston in 2012 when they held the positions of director of football and manager respectively.
Hughes led Caley to the Scottish Cup last year and Collins believes his friend deserves to be considered for the job.
Collins said: “Yogi has done an unbelievable job at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and it surprises me that he’s not been mentioned for the Celtic job. He’s not been mentioned by anybody.
“Let me put a few facts on the table about Yogi. He took over a team playing long ball football and very quickly moulded them into a team that plays exciting, expansive football that is pleasing on the eye and hard to coach.
“In my opinion, Inverness will never have a better manager in their history.
“He took Inverness to the League Cup Final in his first year and got beat on penalties by a strong Aberdeen team. In his second season they beat us in the Scottish Cup semi final and won the trophy.
“He’s sold players after making them better, like Graeme Shinnie, Marley Watkins, Billy McKay. He discovered Ryan Christie who was nowhere near the first team training pitch but he watched him in one Under-20s game, put him in the first team and moulded him into a player.
“When you put it all together you are talking about a manager who has done an unbelievable job with no support, no hotels, no sports science, no video analysis, not a penny spent on any player. He’s got a tiny budget.
“He’s a coach that plays expansive, entertaining football, which is tough to do – and he does it with average players.
“I know how he works, what he puts into a club on the training pitch. And if John Hughes moves on from Inverness it will be a huge loss for Inverness, that’s for sure. But John Hughes won’t be out of work for long.”
On his own future, Collins, who has been linked with the manager’s post at Charlton, said: “Like all coaches not working I am open to offers. I have already had one offer this week which I turned down.
“It will be management or director of football. I’ve had all roles now.”
