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Mile Jedinak has revealed that it was a relationship with Celtic that proved very important in allowing him to become Tottenham manager.
The former Australian midfielder played an assistant role at the Premier League giants when Ange Postecoglou left Parkhead after two brilliant years in London. While he was a former manager of the Socceroos in the Premiership champions, he invited Jedinak to take a look at the environment he has created.
He has maintained communication with his former national team coach, but is now at his side in the Tottenham pressure cooker. And Jedinak told Optus Sport that his presence at Celtic has not changed since his playing days. He said: “We texted each other, especially when he was in Japan, at those key stages when you win things and congratulate each other. “It wasn’t until the end of the first season at Celtic that I was given the chance to go. Again, it was amazing, you can sit nicely and talk about what it’s been like to play and your journey to becoming a coach and doing it that way.
“It’s been very helpful with that and now we’re in that environment from time to time, that’s how I expected it to be. It’s very difficult, it’s a control and one where we can make a profit in every aspect.
“When I went to Celtic, it was probably just to assess the staff and the atmosphere. It was seeing that dynamic, getting a sense of where and how they responded to it.
“It’s not a surprise, but he did it in a very similar way to the national team. I had a mirror image of what day-to-day life is like. It’s not easy, however I saw enough in a few days to see that they gave him what he wanted and everyone agreed.
“To have the link with Ange, to move to Celtic, to see him and talk about some things. He gave me wonderful recommendations and support.
“He knew what my intentions were, when the opportunity came we had a conversation, he asked me to work here and it was a no-brainer in terms of learning and development. I wanted to do it in a first team environment, I was in a position to take this step and I couldn’t wait to take the step.