Lennon aims high Hibs coach signs new deal and targets trophies

● Hibs head coach earmarked Celtic’s Henderson as potential replacement

Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon signed a new three-year deal yesterday and hopes his team will be challenging for second place in the Ladbrokes Premiership and silverware in that period, writes Darren Johnstone.

After leading Hibs to the Championship title last season in his first campaign in charge, the former Celtic manager’s ambitions remain high back in the top flight.

Aberdeen have set the benchmark for the rest of the clubs looking to halt Celtic’s dominance but Lennon wants Hibs to be recognised as the best of the rest.

Lennon, whose team travel to play third-placed St Johnstone tomorrow, said: “I’m delighted to get the contract sorted.

“It gives me incentives and targets to work on now, and hopefully a bit of

Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon has confirmed that the club fended off improved offers from Nottingham Forest for John Mcginn during the closing stages of the transfer window.

The Scotland midfielder, who made a late substitute appearance in last Friday’s World Cup qualifying victory over Lithuania, had been the subject of intense interest from former Rangers manager Mark Warburton at the City Ground.

Hibs took Forest’s pursuit seriously, so much so that Lennon admitted that they lined up Celtic midfielder Liam Henderson as a potential replacement for Mcginn.

A third and final offer from the English Championship club on deadline day last Thursday, said to be in the region of £1.5 million, was dismissed by the Easter Road board.

With the uncertainty put to bed until at least the January window opens, Lennon is hoping that the 22-year-old can become a more complete player with Hibs.

Lennon, who lost striker Jason Cummings to Forest at the start of the summer, said: “We had a valuation of the player, we engaged with Nottingham Forest. They made a couple more bids after the initial one, which was nowhere near good enough.

“The second and third ones were more respectable but they still didn’t come anywhere near the valuation we have of the player.

“I was always confident we would keep John. It puts us in a good light in terms of how healthy the club is financially that they don’t have to go chasing the money.

“I think he wanted us to engage with Forest and we did that, and he was happy with the outcome.

“There’s still more time for us to develop John and for John to develop himself into a more all-round player.

“He’sonly22sohe’sonlyaboy really in terms of football parlance. I don’t think he needs to go yet, I’m not sure he is completely ready to go yet.”

Confirming rumours of interest in Celtic midfielder Henderson, who won the Scottish Cup with Hibs last year during a season-long loan spell, Lennon said: “Only if the Mcginn thing had gone through, we were weighing up options – and one would have been of him.

“We’ve always admired Liam but obviously, with John staying, we didn’t need to make a move.”

Lennon was on good form yesterday, fresh from signing a new three-year deal, and had no hesitation in recalling an embarrassing tale from

0 Hibs midfielder John Mcginn was happy that the club turned down Nottingham Forest’s bids says head coach Neil Lennon.

0 Neil Lennon: Admires Wright. yesteryear at Tommy Wright’s expense.

It involves the St Johnstone manager wearing a leotard under his training kit during their playing days, and Lennon revealed that he nicknamed his one-time Northern Ireland team-mate “Mick Mcmanus” after the late wrestler.

The former Celtic manager got his own back after learning of Wright’s reaction when his friend was informed of Lennon learning Portuguese.

Wright apparently said: