Celtic coach John Kennedy has backed new interim manager Neil Lennon to “flourish” in his second spell at the club.
The former Hoops midfielder was drafted in to replace Brendan Rodgers earlier this week after the ex-Bhoys’ boss left for Leicester City.
As quoted in the Scottish Sun, Kennedy admitted that he was never tempted to follow his manager south of the border.
He said:”There wasn’t a moment when I might have gone too. I’ve had a really close attachment with Celtic. There’s certainly an emotional attachment there. To leave Celtic would be very difficult for me.
“Brendan Rodgers did a terrific job in his two-and-a-half years here. The club is in a very good place. The staff are all very solid and reliable.
“Neil Lennon is coming into an environment in which he will flourish. He’s going to add to it in terms of his personality and how he deals with things. Everyone will pull together to do well.”
OPINION
It’s important the Celtic approach the coming months with positivity and try to maintain as much consistency as possible with the Rodgers’ regime to ensure that the wining mentality he cultivated is kept up. Having Kennedy onboard for that will be a massive help, and will also give the fans a recognisable face to rally around. Not that Lennon is exactly a stranger, of course. Now in his second spell with the Hoops, he will be hoping that he can pick up where Rodgers left off and guide this side to a remarkable triple treble. He has all the attributes needed to do just that, but it won’t be easy, especially with the attention being focused on the club for all the wrong reasons at the moment. That is where Kennedy will come in, and the loyal coach will now face a key responsibility to step into the breach and ensure that his new boss is given as smooth a transition period as possible.