Lennon wants to stay
Celtic skipper Neil Lennon is adamant he will be staying at Parkhead until the end of the season.
The 35-year-old midfielder has been linked with deadline-day transfers to Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
But Lennon has been assured by manager Gordon Strachan he is part of his plans having signed a one-year contract.
And despite the arrival of Thomas Gravesen from Real Madrid, Lennon insists he is going nowhere.
Lennon, speaking at the launch of his autobiography ‘Man and Bhoy’, said: “I have been assured by the manager that I have a big part to play this season and that was the reason I signed another year. I had offers elsewhere at that time.
“People talk about Thomas Gravesen signing being the beginning of the end for me but I still feel I have got a big part to play here this season. That is really pleasing.”
The former Northern Ireland international has expressed a desire to follow former team-mate Roy Keane into management after the former Manchester United skipper took over the reins at Sunderland.
But Lennon is refusing to rule out the possibility of playing on for a further season – even at Celtic.
He continued: “This is probably my last season here.
“Hopefully I will be doing my coaching badges and take a bit of time out.
“But once I get my coaching badges I can start looking for a job.
“I do want to play on and if I am still feeling good then fantastic.
“I was in a similar situation at the start of this season and I signed another year. If I feel as fit as I do now maybe I could look to try playing on here or elsewhere.
“But if not I might just hang up the boots and start taking my coaching badges.”
Lennon believes Celtic have brought in the perfect replacement for Stilian Petrov in Gravesen.
The former Leicester and Crewe player believes he and the Denmark international can play in the same midfield.
Lennon added: “With Stilian Petrov gone I happy we have got a quality replacement in Thomas.
“One of the reasons he has come here is to play in a more attacking role because that’s his nature.
“If he is asked to play a holding role by the manager then that would be no problem for him but he is coming here to be more of an attack-minded midfield player.
“I don’t see why we can’t play in the centre because this has come up before with Paul Lambert and Roy Keane and I am still here but that’s because I am younger than them.
“When he played for Everton, Lee Carsley was the holding midfield player and he had one of his best seasons which got him the move to Real Madrid.
“I’m not sure whether Madrid stifled him or took a wee bit of an edge off him because they have so many attacking midfielders. Maybe they didn’t really know his strengths.
“But I have seen Thomas play that attacking role Denmark and for Real Madrid and he has done really well.”
Lennon wants to close the book on his Celtic career with more success.
The SPL and League Cup winners face Manchester United, Benfica and FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.
“If we could make the last 16 that would be absolutely fantastic and the icing on the cake for me,” he concluded.
