NEIL LENNON has joked that he is too ‘young and handsome’ for the Scotland job as the SFA begin their search for Gordon Strachan’s successor.
The likes of Malky Mackay, the SFA performance director, former Manchester United manager David Moyes, Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert have been among those linked with the vacancy.
However, Hibernian manager Lennon is also a shock name among the runners and riders, with one major bookmaker offering odds as short as 16/1 that he could be the man chosen to lead Scotland into Euro 2020 qualifying.
He laughed off that speculation and confirmed that, even in the long-run, the prospect of international management is not one which appeals to him.
Lennon said: “‘Forget it. Forget that. I’m too young and too handsome for all that! No, it doesn’t appeal to me – even thinking about further down the line. I’m still trying to forge a career in club management and I’m really enjoying what I’m doing here.
"So it doesn’t float my boat, I’d have to say. I would miss the day-to-day stuff. I have enough of a job trying to fill my time here. A job with three-month sabbaticals? I might go missing!”
Speaking prior to the confirmation of Strachan’s exit, Lennon questioned the wisdom of changing managers and reckons the roll-call of managers who have failed to end Scotland’s exile from major tournaments since 1998 is evidence that a new man at the helm is not always the answer.
He added: “There has been a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It’s because it’s been 20 years now since Scotland qualified for a major tournament. I get that.
“But there has been a lot of good managers in that period. Berti Vogts won the Euros with Germany. We’ve had Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, George Burley, Craig Brown, Craig Levein – and it hasn’t worked out for any of them. So the chopping and changing, I’m not sure it’s a great idea. But that’s just my opinion.”
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