Jim, Yvonne and family back in 2012
JIM McGuinness is moving permanently to Scotland with his wife and children, ending speculation of a return to gaelic games.
The Celtic sports scientist’s role with the Glasgow giants has been extended and he has taken the decision to move permanently to Scotland.
He and his wife Yvonne have been house hunting in the Glaswegian suburbs.
The departure of Neil Lennon and arrival of Norwegian Ronnie Deila saw McGuinness’s influence extend to the first team and now new manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to see him role embedded further.
Jim has been flying back and forward to Glasgow – often using Carrickfin – juggling work and family life.
But his pundit role at Sky Sports has also added to the pressure.
McGuinness has never ruled out a return to Gaelic football management, having led Donegal to three Ulster titles and an All-Ireland between 2011 and 2014.
He has said that his role as Sky Sports pundit and newspaper columnist “fills a void” and keeps him tuned in to the fluctuating trends and form of all the top teams but his future remains outside Ireland.
Revealing he recently passed his Uefa ‘B’ Licence, his permanent role as performance consultant now also includes a coaching role with the Celtic Under-20s.
“I’ve also been meeting first team players when required on a one-to-one, pretty much straddling the two since Christmas,” he said recently.
“I’ve started my coaching badges, I’m on that journey and the ‘20s’ are giving me that experience.
“I got confirmation that I passed the Uefa ‘B’ so you coach with that for a year and the next stage then is the ‘A’ badge. “The thing for me down the road is to see where it takes me.
“It’s a different culture, a different sport and a different environment, so it’s about your own adaptation.”
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