McInnes is told to back off over Ajer comments

own player and I will concentrate on mine.’

McInnes claimed at the weekend that Lennon felt the decision to dismiss Cosgrove had been harsh.

Speaking on reflection, though, the Celtic manager felt the striker had unwisely brought himself to Anderson’s attention.

‘I thought at the time it was full-blooded,’ he added.

‘I think there was intent there because he didn’t need to make the challenge. I think he was trying to put a marker down for some reason. I don’t know why.

‘I don’t know if there was frustration there with Kris making a great tackle on (Jon) Gallagher. There is no real need to make a challenge like that. He could have just shied Kris into the corner.

‘He’s got plenty of the ball, but in this day and age, he’s off the ground when I’ve seen it again and he’s caught Kris on the follow through.

‘So I can see now why the ref did give it. Ten years ago, you’d have been delighted with a challenge like that, but you’d have to ask him the reason why he’s making a challenge like that there because it was totally unnecessary.’

Lennon believes Ajer could have been seriously hurt had he not seen the tackle coming.

‘Yes, he could,’ he said. ‘He may have seen the challenge coming and skipped out of it, but he has left the ground.

‘It’s definitely excessive force and that’s why I think it’s unnecessary. He could have put a block on it, he’s on his left foot, he’s not going anywhere.

‘At the end of the day, what do you want to get out of it? Tacking like that? I understand him making a challenge, but it’s just the way he made it and it wasn’t that type of game, either.

‘It was feisty, but it wasn’t over physical. It was totally out of context for the game.’

Meanwhile, Lennon says he’s relaxed about the possibility of having to wait on key January additions.

In the running for Slovan Bratislava striker Andraz Sporar and Cruzeiro defender Fabricio Bruno, ideally the Celtic manager would like to have any new players on board for the winter training camp in Dubai.

Adamant that he’ll gladly wait if it means the right players are on board for the second half of the season, Lennon said: ‘I’ve done lots of business on the last day of windows which has worked out fine. Sometimes it’s a game of patience.’

Hopeful that matters can progress swiftly in the first week of January, though, Lennon added: ‘It’d be ideal, but whether we can do it is another thing. If we can get them out to Dubai, brilliant. If not, we’ve got the whole month to do a bit of business.

‘And, if we don’t do anything, I’ll be quite happy with what we’ve got, although I do think there are one or two areas we can strengthen.’

Talks between Slovan and Celtic over Sporar, the 25-year-old striker, have already taken place in Vienna.

‘I believe there were talks between the clubs but he’s one of a number of options we are talking to at the moment,’ confirmed Lennon.

‘There is no further progress on that at the minute.’