BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has suggested that Celtic need to get rid of Neil Lennon in the summer and find someone who can match the winning mentality of Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.
Lennon is the Hoops’ interim boss until the end of the season and looks on course to seal the club’s third domestic treble in a row after winning the Scottish Premiership title on Saturday.
However Crooks does not believe that Lennon is good enough to preserve the gap between Celtic and bitter rivals Rangers, who have shown slight signs of improvement under Gerrard’s leadership this term.
And the former Tottenham player has claimed that Lennon should not be hired permanently at the end of his interim spell in charge.
“Rangers are breathing down their necks,” said Crooks, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“Celtic need to make sure they have someone at the helm who can take them forward and keep Rangers where they want Rangers to be.
“It’s not an easy task. Steven Gerrard is a winner. I’ve seen him at England, I’ve seen him at Liverpool.
“That kid wants to be successful and he will be. At Celtic, they need someone who can compete with that man in every sense.
“And I think, the bigger the club, the bigger the personality at the top of the job.
“Neil has had his time there and it’s time to move it on.”
OPINION
Celtic should not hire Lennon as their next manager – but not because of Rangers like Crooks is suggesting. Celtic do not need to worry about their Old Firm rivals, they just need to focus on themselves and worry about what they are doing. Lennon has done well enough to wrap up the league title and he should win the Scottish Cup to round off the treble. However the style of football has been hard to watch at times and there is little suggestion to suggest that Lennon would take Celtic any further in Europe than Brendan Rodgers managed. The Hoops should maybe go down the route of hiring a big-name manager who can attract top players to Parkhead. Someone who has their foot in the door at a major European club to help acquire some quality young players. They also need someone with a proven record at winning titles. There won’t be many managers out there who fit that description but Peter Lawwell needs to find them.