| Scottish Cup final: Hearts v Celtic | |
|---|---|
| Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 25 May Time: 15:00 BST | |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC One Scotland; listen on BBC Radio Scotland; text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. | |
Neil Lennon “definitely” wants to stay in management next season, whether it is at Celtic or elsewhere.
Lennon, 47, was put in charge of Celtic for a second time following Brendan Rodgers’ February departure to Leicester City.
Celtic retained the Scottish Premiership – the club’s eighth league title in a row – and could complete a treble treble by beating Hearts in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.
“I want to manage,” Lennon said.
“Take a holiday first and then have a look at things and see what’s there. I’ve really enjoyed the last three years being back in Scotland. I’ve had some great success both at Hibs and Celtic. I’ve enjoyed it immensely and it’s been really good for me, so if it’s not to be Celtic then I’m hoping for a new challenge somewhere else.
“I would love it [if I stayed on at Celtic]. It’s a privileged position, I’ve done it before.”
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s Sportscene, the Northern Irishman insists his future will not be decided by Saturday’s contest at Hampden, saying: “I’ve been told that already by the hierarchy and I’ve no reason not to believe that.”
And he feels criticism of the team over the past three months has been unfair.
“It’s not my side, it’s Brendan’s and it’s not my style of play, it’s Brendan’s,” explained Lennon, who won five trophies as Celtic boss from 2010-14 before spells at Bolton and Hibernian.
“People saying, ‘Well the performances aren’t the same’ – well they are.
“If I had gone in there and changed things and it hadn’t worked, then I would’ve been making a huge mistake. It was important to get the players over the line, win the league. The training, everything, we kept the same. You’ve got to put the players first. It’s an important piece of the club’s history that they could achieve here.
“Going forward, the style of play I think can be a little bit different. Teams are starting to work out the way we play. We need to be more flexible in our style.
“I was a bit shocked that Brendan had left, just the timing of it, but it’s understandable because it’s a professional decision at the end of the day and he’s back in the Premier League with a great club that I know of.
“When the inevitable happened, then I was ready to ask the question of myself and thought, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do this, I want to do this’.”
See more of Michael Stewart’s Sportscene interview with Neil Lennon on Friday at 19:00 BST, BBC Scotland.
