CALLUM McGregor reckons the Celtic dressing room is united behind Neil Lennon and the Northern Irishman’s case to take a page out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s book and land the Parkhead job on a permanent basis will become irresistible if he can lead Celtic to a treble.
Few saw Manchester United’s Norwegian legend as anything more than a placeholder when he was installed as interim manager after the sacking of Jose Mourinho. But a strong run of victories in the league, coupled with continental heroics which took the Old Trafford side into the last eight of the Champions League, effectively gave the Old Trafford board little choice but to give him the job indefinitely.
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With the BetFred Cup already in the bag, the club on the verge of an eighth successive title and Aberdeen waiting in Sunday’s William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final, McGregor feels Lennon is another caretaker who is more than capable of stepping up. With the club almost certain to be pitched into Champions League qualifiers in early to mid-June, time is of the essence when it comes to finding Brendan Rodgers’ long-term successor and Lennon is one of few people out there acquainted with what it takes to face such early-season ordeals.
“Obviously the club have to get the appointment right,” said McGregor. “It is whatever way they want to go about that and get it done but the players and staff and everyone around the club want to know as soon as possible so you have the continuity going into next season. Whatever the board decides, as soon as the players find out it calms everyone down and gives the club a focus.
“The new season comes pretty quickly. You only have three to four weeks off and then it’s straight back into the big games again. So the sooner it is done the better for everyone. Neil’s track record at Celtic as a manager has been outstanding. There’s not been many better in Europe and in league football as well. So he has to have a case to get it. He knows the fabric of the club and he knows everyone inside out. Not many people could have slotted in that well. It’s been a seamless transition for us.
“Would the players like it? I think so. The transition since he has come in again has been excellent. He has the players hungry for success. It can easily peter away. But he has been great. He is a born winner as well and he’s bringing that out in the team. The stats and the performances the results have been excellent.
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“If you see the success with Solskjaer at Man Utd - people were talking about if get into the top four he will get the job. People will ultimately judge you on success. If we manage to do it then he has a great shout. And he would have deserved it all well.”
While Lennon himself is helping the club re-tool for next season regardless of whether he is around or not, the good news for Celtic is the established core of players at the club who remain.
“We are looking at trying to bring in a few more faces than we have done previously. We are going to have to try and add numbers. But that group of players we’ve had here at this club for eight to 10 years - like Broony, James, Mika, and also KT, five years, myself, five years. We all know what it’s about. We know how to win game and how to win trophies. And barring any disasters, those five will be playing most of the games. That’s a real good starting point for bringing in new players.”
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