DAVID MOYES would seriously consider becoming Celtic’s next manager if the club agreed to change its long-standing strict financial philosophy.

The former Manchester United and Everton boss, who began his playing career at Parkhead, was surprisingly candid when asked about the chances of him saying yes to his old club, if any call came in the near future

We understand Moyes has been made aware of an interest in him from Celtic and that it is a project which interests him. This is, of course, providing the club sack Ronny Deila in the summer, something that could happen even if the Norwegian finishes this season with both the Premiership and Scottish Cup in the trophy cabinet.

Deila retains strong support from within Celtic Park, most notably chief executive Peter Lawwell, but many others believe it is time for a change following successive failures to reach the Champions League and decreasing crowds at home matches.

Not to mention that the most expensive squad in Scotland are in an unexpected dogfight with Aberdeen for the title.

On an intriguing day for Celtic supporters, aside from Moyes talking about their club and the prospect of managing there, former defender Malky Mackay revealed he had turned down English clubs since parting ways at Wigan Athletic and that Celtic was a “dream job” for him.

And Neil Lennon left Bolton Wanderers by "mutual consent" and was immediately installed as bookies’ favourite to replace Deila if he was to go after spending two seasons in Glasgow. However, it is Moyes who many supporters would want to see in charge at their club.

“I want to be able to manage the way that suits me. I think I build clubs I think I improve them over the years,” Moyes told PLZ Soccer when asked about Celtic.

“Everybody knows my time at Celtic was great. I was a young player and played with great players at Celtic. Celtic’s been a great love of mine. Who knows, who knows, I would never say never but obviously I’ve got ambitions to win things.

“I’d want to be at a club that would give me every chance to win and be involved in the Champions League and be at the top level.”

Moyes stated what almost every Celtic supporter knows which is the team at this moment in time is nowhere close to good enough to play in club football’s No1 tournament. Indeed, they failed to win a single match in the Europa League this season. This is a sticking point and not just for Moyes.

In previous years, Owen Coyle and others turned down advances made by Lawwell because the feeling was the money would not be there which would enable the club to be regular participants in the Champions League.

“I’m saying this with total respect but I don’t think the Celtic squad is good enough to reach the levels that they want. That’s a no-brainer if you ask me,” said Moyes. “You can talk about the quality of managers but you have to have the players to get you to that level.

“And if you’ve not got them you have to go and buy them or go out and source them with really good recruitment. I think that’s the key to getting a really good side.”

Those close to Moyes have often said he never ruled out a return to Celtic Park where it all began from him with the suggestion being that he had unfinished business there having left in 1983 with a league winners medal but having not made much of an impact as a player.

Celtic could not pay him what he could earn in England; however, the Glaswegian is a wealthy man so that is not as big an obstacle as it may have been in the past.

Moyes, 52, was viewed as “The Chosen One” when Sir Alex Ferguson personally insisted he take-over from him at Manchester United following a long period of relative success but not a trophy at Everton.

He did not last the season and then spent a year in Spain with Real Sociedad, a stay that ended in November last year when he was sacked.

With Lennon available, Mackay dropping a not to subtle hint and also Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill making it known that he would not be averse of talking to the club he has always supported, all of a sudden it could be seen that the field has become crowded.

However, Deila remains in situ and with a year left on his contract. But even his strongest supporters feel that his time is almost up. That will become a certainty should Aberdeen win the title.

Mackay’s reputation was tarnished when in December 2012 he was embroiled in controversy surrounding allegations he sent text messages of a sexist and racist nature to his former Cardiff City colleague Iain Moody.

In an interview with the BBC, he said: "I'm an ex-Celtic player, I'm an eastender, I lived in Baillieston, so it's 10 minutes from the club. I know the fabric of the football club and know the history.

"Of course it is [the dream job], it's a fabulous club. But I'm loathed to talk about specific clubs, particularly when managers are in place, because it happened to me.

"It's not nice when you hear vultures touting for your job, that has a lack of class. Why would Celtic and Rangers not be the two jobs in Scottish football that a Scotsman would want?"

And while Lennon’s iconic standing among the supporters remains as strong as ever, he left Celtic because of what many described the downsizing of the club and he, like Moyes, would need reassurances that there would be a policy change.

But recent stories surrounding his personal life will not have done the Northern Irishman much good, even if his work at Bolton, bottom of the Championship and facing relegation, would likely not count against him as it was seen as an impossible job.

Moyes, too, has a reputation to rebuild following his bruising time at Old Trafford; however, he defended himself and we what he was trying to in Manchester.

“I could have done a job and turned it around and had the club pointing in the right direction,” he said in an interview shown on STV Glasgow. “I believed I was the right person back then and I still believe that now. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.

“If I thought I was doing things wrong I would have made changes at the time.

“What you’ve got to remember is when you get a six-year contract you’re thinking about building for the future and things need to change. I’d taken over from Sir Alex Ferguson so you couldn’t go in there and have a revolution and change it. It had to be done gradually.

“So I felt the right thing to do was to be patient, take your time and go about the job because Manchester United stood for so many good things – they didn’t sack managers, they gave them every opportunity, they were a great club for encouraging young players and they were also a great club for mainly choosing British managers as well.

“In the end I got 10 months which was a real disappointment.”