Treble vital for Lennon, says Mjallby

JOHAN MJALLBY believes Neil Lennon will have to secure the Treble to stand a chance of landing the Celtic job permanently — with the Swede expecting the club’s board to be considering other high-profile candidates. Appointed interim manager after Brendan Rodgers’ departure to Leicester, Lennon is unbeaten in seven games ahead of a Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Aberdeen on Sunday. With the identity of the man at the helm unclear beyond the summer, however, Roberto Martinez, Rafa Benitez, David Moyes and Michael O’Neill have all been linked with the post. Lennon’s sidekick during his previous spell at the helm, Mjallby believes the 47-year-old was the perfect figure to step up to the plate after Rodgers’ abrupt exit. But he feels a victory over the Dons and the completion of a third successive Treble is the extraordinary standard

Lennon must reach just to be in the running to take charge of a club that will look to win a ninth straight title next season. ‘I was surprised at the timing of Brendan leaving the club,’ said Mjallby. ‘That was a bit strange but it was good for Celtic that Neil was available. He’d worked with a lot of the players in the squad and he’s very passionate about the club, so it was a win-win for everybody. ‘He was out of a job at the time and everyone knows how much Celtic means to him. It will be interesting to see what happens. Neil knows he will have to secure the Treble to have a chance of getting the job on a full-time basis. ‘That’s down to the board, though, and I’m sure they’ll be contemplating other names. It would be difficult for them not to make him manager if he completed the Treble but it depends on how they look at the club going forward long-term.’ Having appointed Ronny Deila from Stromsgodset in 2014, Celtic broke the bank to employ a former Premier League manager in Rodgers two years later. Asked if a move to Scottish football would appeal to some of the big hitters that have been mentioned, Mjallby replied: ‘Why not? You can’t talk Celtic down. Rangers have had difficult years but they are massive clubs and either should win the league every year. ‘But even if you have been the manager of big clubs in other major leagues, the pressure you have at Celtic is enormous. ‘Martinez has never won a league title. Andre Villas-Boas and Benitez have done but, at Parkhead, you have the chance to win trophies every year. ‘The ambition should also be to make Celtic great in Europe again.’ Lennon’s first spell in charge saw him win three titles and two Scottish Cups, as well as reaching the last 16 of the Champions League. For that reason, Mjallby feels there would be significant risk in the board looking beyond Lennon in favour of someone with no affiliation to the club. ‘To start with, yes. That’s always the case,’ he said. ‘What budget do they want to spend for a big name? I’ve seen Martinez, Villas-Boas and Benitez mentioned and, although Neil had plenty of experience as a boss, they will be much more expensive than him. ‘It will always be important for Celtic to win domestic trophies — and the league is always the bread and butter — but then you have to look at Europe. ‘That was the only area where Brendan didn’t succeed that much, so would the board find a foreign manager more attractive when it comes to making Celtic a force in Europe? ‘The most important thing is that the directors back the man in charge financially. ‘But whatever happens, there will be a few changes to the squad next season.’