McNamara salutes Lennon as top choice with Celtic in blood

FORMER Parkhead favourite Jackie McNamara insists Celtic are in Neil Lennon’s blood as he hailed the former club captain and head coach as the perfect man to fill the void left by Brendan Rodgers.

The Parkhead board sent out an SOS for their former manager following Rodgers’ shock departure for Leicester City on Tuesday, with Lennon agreeing a deal until the end of the season.

His bid to guide the team to a historic triple treble began on Wednesday night with a last-gasp 2-1 triumph over Hearts, and McNamara has no doubt Celtic have found a safe pair of hands.

He said: “With the circumstances of Brendan’s departure, it is a great fit for Lenny to come back in and steady things until the end of the season and see what happens from there.

“Celtic are in Neil’s blood. He loves the club and enjoys the pressures and everything that goes with being Celtic manager. I’m sure he would love to still be playing for them – but managing is the next best thing.

“The challenge is still exactly the same: he has to win every game. It is a different pressure and one that he has lived with as a manager and a player. He will know what to expect.”

Having left Hibs just last month, tomorrow will see Lennon back at Easter Road but now in charge of Celtic.

McNamara added: “There are massive games coming up and I think that is why the fallout from Brendan’s departure has been so severe. It is quite raw at the moment. With so much to play for this season – the [triple] treble – the timing wasn’t great.

“But Neil will take the reins and, with John Kennedy having been involved throughout the season with Brendan, that will help continuity.”

Lennon won five major honours as Celtic boss after replacing Tony Mowbray in 2010 and guided the club to the last-16 of the Champions League so he is sure to be in the running for the job on a long-term basis.

Asked whether Lennon could stake a claim, McNamara added: “Neil has the experience, he did well in Europe during his first spell – something that Brendan didn’t manage to do. Long term, the board will look at that, but short term the key is covering Brendan’s departure.”