Hibernian manager Neil Lennon left the door open over a second return to the club for Celtic midfielder Scott Allan after insisting he had “thrived” at the Hoops’ Scottish rivals.
The 26-year-old, who is currently firmly out of favour at Parkhead, spent a season with Hibs after arriving on a free transfer back in 2015, which led to Celtic snapping him up a year later.
He ended up returning to his former side on loan back in January of this year on a half-season deal before heading back to the Bhoys, and while he was unwilling to commit to a future move, Lennon refused to rule out the possibility of him making a second return to the club.
He was quoted by the Daily Record as saying: “First of all he’d cost money. Second, we had a number of positions we wanted to take precedence and then Emerson Hyndman came to the party and he was a player we quite liked the look of.
“He is a Celtic player and it’s not for me to say whether we would be in for him again come January, but he is a player that thrived here in two spells.”
Opinion
Allan has no future at Parkhead and with his contract expiring next summer it is time for him to get sorting his future out. While Lennon might not be willing to speak publicly about a potential return, the player himself should be on the phone trying to sort out a meeting in order to discuss the potential of a second return to the club, for it would be a great opportunity for him to reignite a career which has stagnated at Celtic. The Hoops have a wealth of talent in the midfield and have no part for Allan to play, and will likely be looking to ship him off in January in order to receive some sort of fee for his services. Strengthening their rivals might not be their preferred way of getting cash for his sale but at the same time he is an outcast at Celtic Park, and if they truly feel he is not good enough to make the grade then they should have no issue in taking money from whoever wants to spend on his signature.