ERIK Sviatchenko believes Brondby will be the first of several European clubs to show an interest in appointing Ronny Deila as their manager when he leaves Celtic in the summer.

Danish television station TV3 have reported that Deila is a potential candidate to take over at Brondby along with the former Celtic player Morten Wieghorst.

The Norwegian announced last month that he would stand down at Parkhead at the end of the 2015/16 season despite his side being set to retain the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Sviatchenko, who was signed by Deila from Danish Superliga club Midtjylland for £1.5 million in January, reckons he will do well if he decides to move to his homeland.

However, the centre half has predicted that Brondby won’t be the last club to target the 40-year-old as a result of his achievements during his two years in Scotland.

“I could see Ronny being a success at Brondby,” he said. “It’s a big club. Not compared to Celtic, but it is the biggest in Denmark, fan-wise as well. If that was reality, I think they’d be a good match.

“But I think there will be interest in the manager. To come to a club this size and perform isn’t easy. It’s not just for free that you get victories and trophies. It’s something you have to work for and lots of credit must go to the manager for winning. To see him succeed in a new club will be nice.”

Sviatchenko, who led the celebrations at Tynecastle on Saturday as Celtic beat Hearts 3-1 to effectively secure another Scottish title, confirmed Deila had remained focused despite announcing that he intended to stand down.

“I’ve seen no difference in the manager,” he said. “He’s been really professional and shown his passion when we are out on the training pitches. He shows he still wants it. We do our jobs as we would any normal day.”

Sviatchenko, who scored in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden in April, has done well since moving to Scotland and has established himself as a first choice centre back.

However, the 24-year-old stressed he wants to prove himself in the Champions League with the Glasgow club next season – then and become one of the best defenders in Europe.

“Performing with Celtic in Europe would be really something I’d be really happy about,” he said. “I’ve tried it with FC Mydjylland, where I showed I could easily play at that level. That’s the next step for me with Celtic, to be challenged in Europe.

“I’m composed as a person, know what I want to do and know how to play football. It’s a part of you saying loud that you want to be one of the best defenders in Europe.

“I will try to do my best to be one of the best. That’s what I am so concentrated on all of my things such as nutrition, how I sleep, how I train, how I analyse games. It is good to have ambitions and strive for something that is great."

Meanwhile, Sviatchenko has expressed confidence that playing with Denmark in the Kirin Cup in Japan in the summer won’t affect his ability to perform at his best with Celtic in their Champions League qualifiers next season.

“Denmark goes to Japan for matches and I will do everything I can to be selected,” said Sviatchenko. “I think I have shown what I am capable of here and I think I’ll be in the squad.

“I want to be involved. I have only played here since January and the other guys have played a lot more matches than I have, so it’s an honour to be with the national team and I’d never say no.

“It might be better to keep playing. It’s always a balance between holidays and recharging batteries or just keep on going. I feel in a good flow at the moment and I could keep going because my body feels great and I feel great.

“Sometimes, you need to look at the bigger picture. The season is long and you need to build it up and not peak too early. I think it’s fine. Hopefully I’ll go away, have good sessions and games with the national team.

“The club knows about the international players playing and, maybe, we’ll get five days more break. It’s about being professional. We’ll have our programme.”

Roy Keane is the latest big name to be linked with Celtic – Herald Sport revealed yesterday that the Republic of Ireland assistant manager had been sounded out about taking over at Parkhead.

Sviatchenko admitted that Deila’s replacement may want to make changes and bring in his own players, but insisted he was unconcerned about his own position in the Celtic squad.

“I’m not concerned,” he said. “It’s natural a new coach will come in, do adaptations and do what he thinks is needed. That is natural when coaches are replaced and there will be some changes. I will respect what the new manager will say.”