"And his playing record for West Brom was excellent. Once players get to a certain age, some in their 30s, some in their late 30s, once their legs go, their legs go. You can do nothing about that, it's a fact of nature.
"I look at people like wee Gordon Strachan, who went on until he was 38, 39, and others like him. At 35, if I hadn't got offered a management job I was going to carry on playing."
McLeish was a team-mate and friend of Strachan's at Aberdeen in their glory years.
After the current Celtic manager left Manchester United in 1989, it was thought that he was finished as a player.
"He was 32, 33 and had a great few years," added McLeish. ''He won titles with Leeds United. He was a shining light for Leeds and players like Gary McAllister looked up to him.
"Wee Strach was an inspiration and Kevin Phillips can be our inspiration."