ARMBAND IS THE OLI GRAIL FOR NTCHAM

FC Cluj Celtic Today, 5.55pm

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OLIVIER NTCHAM will lead the Celtic team out in Romania tonight when it wasn’t so long ago it looked like the only place he was heading was out of the Parkhead door marked exit.

It’s some turnaround for the midfielder as Neil Lennon prepares to chuck him the armband a few months on from a swift boot up the backside.

The Celtic boss hasn’t just forgiven Ntcham for speaking out of turn in his homeland in the summer when he admitted he was hoping for a move. Lennon has also managed to get the playmaker’s focus back on doing the business for Celtic and now he will be trusted with a leader’s role in the team.

Ntcham (right) was the hero in Rome when his last-gasp winner sunk Lazio and secured the Parkhead side’s place in the Europa League 32.

Now he’s getting the chance to step in to suspended Scott Brown’s shoes in Cluj tonight – and handle the pressure of taking the huddle. Lennon said: “It’s nice to give someone different that responsibility and we’ll see if he can thrive on it. I think he has the personality and he certainly has the respect of his team-mates to do that.

“I’m really pleased with his attitude and the way he’s training. He was unfortunate not to get game time in the cup final on Sunday and I’m delighted with what he’s doing around the place. “I want him to take that responsibility so he will be captain.”

Lennon admitted it’s been a heck of an turnaround for Ntcham at Celtic after the 23-year-old was clocked batting his eyelids at the likes of Marseille and Sportin Lisbon in the summer.

The Hoops gaffer said: “He said some things that he probably meant at the time but maybe some of it was taken out of context.

“We had a chat about it at the start of the season and he parked it and since then he has been absolutely terrific so I have no qualms about making him captain.”

Fringe stars Scott Sinclair, Craig Gordon and Leigh Griffiths are also set to start the game.