OPINION
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has ruled himself out of the running for the permanent Scotland job, and it could be the first step towards the Hoops finally sorting out a concrete plan for next season.
The national side will be on the hunt for a new boss after relieving Alex McLeish of his duties earlier in the week, but the Northern Irishman has insisted that he isn’t interested in the role, even if it were offered to him.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, he said: “The Scotland job should be – whether you think this is antiquated or not – a Scotland man and there is plenty of good candidates in line for the job.
“The decision to remove Alex was premature and seemed to be based on one result which is scandalous from my point of view. There are a lot of good candidates out there and it is a prime job still.”
Lennon obviously isn’t going to come right out and say that he wants the national role while he still has a chance at the permanent role at Celtic, but you get the impression that he is sincere.
And ultimately, by ruling himself out of the running for one of the biggest job in Scottish football, Lennon is heavily implying that he is available should the Hoops call on him beyond the end of the season.
It may not be the revelatory managerial news that some fans are hoping for, but the club could do a whole lot worse than Lennon, and it should be a reassurance to learn that he wouldn’t be interested in any SFA advances.
Lennon clearly loves the club, and you just know that he would much prefer to be in charge there than anywhere else. Perhaps this is the biggest indicator yet of who will be at the helm with the Bhoys next season.