Allan Russell understood to only want Aberdeen coaching role if he can continue his position in Gareth Southgate's England set-up; Aberdeen have appointed Stephen Glass as new manager and Celtic captain Scott Brown has signed a pre-contract deal to join as a player-coach this summer
Friday 26 March 2021 11:18, UK
England's attacking coach Allan Russell is in negotiations over a deal to join Aberdeen as part of new manager Stephen Glass' coaching team.
Sky Sports News has been told Russell will only take a job at Pittodrie if he can continue his role with England, and that is a key part of the talks.
It is thought the FA would not have a problem with him doing both roles - England's senior goalkeeping coach, Martyn Margetson, currently shares his international duty with his full-time job at Swansea City.
Celtic captain Scott Brown has already signed a pre-contract deal with Aberdeen. The 35-year-old, one of the most decorated players in Scottish football history, will join the club this summer on a two-year deal in a player-coach role.
Russell joined England in March 2017, and he has gained an excellent reputation as a specialist attacking coach - he was widely praised for being the mastermind behind England's success from set-pieces at the Russia World Cup in 2018. They scored a total of nine goals in the tournament from restarts - more than any other team in the competition.
Glass and Russell struck up a relationship when they played together at Carolina Railhawks in 2011, and now Glass wants Russell as the final piece of his new coaching set-up at Pittodrie.
On Thursday, Celtic captain Scott Brown agreed a pre-contract deal to join Aberdeen from the start of next season as a player-coach; Brown is a former team-mate of Glass at Hibernian.
During his playing career, Russell played for Hamilton, St Mirren, Partick Thistle, Airdrie United and Kilmarnock in Scottish football, and also featured for Macclesfield Town, Mansfield Town and Forest Green Rovers in the English lower leagues.
He moved to the United States in 2010 with Carolina, and finished his playing career at Orange County Blues, before starting his own coaching company.
