The 36-year-old returned to his former club after being in a similar role with Premiership rivals Motherwell.

"At this club, there is special, special talents, but they also need to realise that it is not just going to happen for them," he said.

"They have to work for it. They have to be dedicated."

McManus, who also had spells with Middlesbrough and Bristol City as a player after leaving Celtic, believes "there's a lot of talented players" in Scottish football.

"As a nation, we're quick to beat them with a stick, to say, 'he is not good enough, he is not good enough'," he told Celtic TV.

"I have worked in under-18s and under-17s for the last five years, even when I still was playing, so I could see the talent at other football clubs."

McManus sees his role as producing "some players for the first team".

"If you can produce young players that are going to save the club millions of pounds, then great - and that is what I'm going to focus on," he added.