KJETIL KNUTSEN has dropped his biggest hint yet on where his future lies.
The Bodo/Glimt boss is one of the favourites to be next Celtic manager with his contract at the Norwegian club almost up.
Knusten, 57, has been one of the most sought after bosses in Europe in recent years.
He has transformed Bodo into a force both domestically and on the continental front, with four league titles and their maiden Champions League appearance coming under his watch.
The club’s incredible form has seen Knutsen linked with some huge jobs in recent years but despite links to the likes of Ajax and Roma he’s remained in post.
But his contract is up at the end of the current season in Norway, which has less than three weeks left to run.
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Knutsen’s Bodo side currently side second on 64 points, just a point behind leaders Viking with two games left to play.
Amid the ongoing title battle, he remains a leading contender with the bookies to be the next Celtic manager.
The Hoops are still on the hunt for a permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers who quit two weeks ago.
After leading Bodo to a thumping 5-0 win over Bryne FK on Sunday, Knutsen was directly quizzed on the Celtic job.
He refused to rule anything out, cryptically stating “nothing is certain in life” and suggesting that his next job would have to be “more exciting than Glimt.”
However, in a separate interview, Knutsen dropped a huge hint that his future may will REMAIN with Bodo.
In the biggest clue about his future yet, the boss said he expects movement on a new contract.
And when directly quizzed on is he was preparing to leave the club, he insisted he had NO plans to do so.
Knutsen told local outlet Avisa Nordland: “We’ll see now if we can get things moving a bit. I don’t really have the energy to talk about it.
“I think we’ve had five matches in 13 days so there hasn’t been much time for contract matters. But we’re in control.”
He added: “I don’t have any plans to do that (leave Bodo/Glimt) but I hope you won’t throw me out either.
“We have to find the right balance.
“But I think we’ll get it settled quite soon.”
Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge following Rodgers’ shock exit from Celtic a fortnight ago.
Next Celtic manager odds
Wilfried Nancy 6/4
Kjetil Knutsen 9/4
Martin O’Neill 5/1
Kierna McKenna 10/1
Brian Barry-Murphy 12/1
*odds as of 8am on Monday, 10 November with bet365
The 73-year old has been consistently quizzed on the prospect of a longer stint in the dugout during his couple of weeks back at Parkhead.
After Sunday’s 4-0 win over Kilmarnock, O’Neill revealed that talks with Hoops supremo Dermot Desmond were planned for this coming week.
But the Celts icon insisted he doesn’t have any idea what the immediate future holds.
O’Neill said: “I genuinely don’t know.
“But if they make an announcement in, let’s say, in the next week or something about a new manager, I will take this fortnight, rather morbidly, to my grave.
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“You never know, but it’s been fantastic.
“Look, I have to go back down to London again this week and I’m going to go into a darkened room and come out on Thursday and see has this really happened.”
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