Lennon is calling on the Hoops’ wantaway stars to put club first

CELTIC boss Neil Lennon has urged his wantaway players to settle down and focus on the bid for 10 in a row.

The Parkhead boss threatened to rid the club of uncommitted players after they were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers with a 2-1 defeat by Ferencvaros on Wednesday night, to leave them harbouring hopes only of Europa League football this season.

Asked if he had any regrets about making his feelings known publicly, Lennon — whose side celebrated their ninth successive Premiership title win last season when the campaign was called early due to the coronavirus crisis — replied “not really”, before, in a more conciliatory tone, calling for the players in question to re-focus.

He said: “We want them all here. We’ve made that pretty clear. We have a big year ahead of us.

“This is a difficult time of the year, people are unsettled.

“We want them to settle down and do what’s best for the club, and that means winning the league and trying to make the best of what’s left of the European campaign.

“I am not saying there is disharmony within the group but what I want is players who are with us and who really want to be successful again this year.

“We suffered a blow. One of our objectives has gone but we have plenty of other objectives, and we want them all here.

“We want them to do what they do best.”

• CELTIC defender Boli Bolingoli has been handed a suspension of at least three games but the ‘Aberdeen Eight’ have avoided any immediate punishment for their breaches of coronavirus protocols.

The Dons players have been given three-match bans following a Scottish Football Association disciplinary hearing. But the suspensions will only be invoked if they break the same regulations they were charged with before the end of February.

Bolingoli has been hit with a five-match ban, two games of which are suspended until the end of February.

The Belgian left-back flew to Spain and back without telling Celtic then failed to quarantine himself for 14 days as required, before playing against Kilmarnock five days later.

The Scottish champions had their next two games postponed.