Lennon’s Europe warning for Deila

NEIL LENNON has warned his successor Ronny Deila there is ‘a lot of work to do’ on the Celtic squad ahead of the forthcoming Champions League qualifiers.

Lennon, who guided the club to the tournament’s group stages after losing key trio Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper and Kelvin Wilson last summer, admits the task for Deila is now harder following the subsequent departures of Joe Ledley and Georgios Samaras.

Fraser Forster could be next to leave after his involvement with England at the World Cup Finals but Lennon fears the loss of either the keeper or defender Virgil van Dijk could seriously hinder Deila’s efforts to keep the club competitive in Europe.

‘There’s a lot of work to do,’ said Lennon. ‘We lost Ledley in January and now Samaras’ contract has run out. There are still great players there, like Fraser and Virgil, and the club must hold onto them.’

From experience, Lennon believes the challenge of taking the club to the Champions League will test the mental and physical reserves of Deila and his players.

Celtic’s first qualifier will be played in less than six weeks’ time but the implications of those results could last for months.

‘If Celtic don’t go into the Champions League group stages, it’s a long season,’ said Lennon. ‘That plays on your mind.

‘They have to play important games at an early stage of the season. I’ve had to negotiate that myself and it’s very difficult.

‘For the players, it’s tiring, mentally and physically.’