Scott Brown believes Neil Lennon is the right man for the Celtic job

Celtic skipper Scott Brown believes Neil Lennon is the man to lead the club back to the Champions League.

The 33-year-old lifted the Scottish Cup and then found out that Lennon was being offered a permanent return to Parkhead as manager.

Brown saluted the courage shown by the stand-in boss as he helped the Hoops clinch a treble Treble.

He said: “I don’t think there is a better person for the job.

“He has won us the league, won a semi-final and a cup final. It shows the kind of man he is.

“He could have distanced himself from the job because of what Brendan did.

“But when he got the call, he answered that call.”

As a former manager of Celtic, Lennon knows all about the pressure that comes with bossing the Glasgow giants.

Some supporters cast doubts on his ability to recreate his successful first stint in the hot-seat, but Brown is certain there are more good times ahead.

He went on: “That discussion amongst fans doesn’t matter to us. We know in the changing room that he is the right man for the job.

“The pressure this job brings is on everyone. The pressure was on for us to do eight in a row and for him to push us towards, hopefully, nine titles in a row.

“For me, that shows he’s the right man for the club.

“We all found out on Twitter after the game and all the lads were diving about in the changing room.

“We went out, got the gaffer and brought him back in there. The cheer for him getting the job was phenomenal – he deserves it.”

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Brown accepts there will now be major changes to the Celtic squad.

He added: “There will be players coming in, and leaving as well, which is sad because the last three seasons have been unbelievable.

“The recruitment of players is going to be a thing.

“There will be changes in the team because of what Brendan had and what Neil is going to go out and do.

“I’m sure it will be a breeze for him.”

There’s certainly no sign of the Celtic skipper slowing down.

The champagne corks were still popping after his side’s cup final win and he was talking about a return to the group stage of the Champions League.

He said: “This is the best feeling I’ve had since I’ve come to the club. To win nine trophies in a row is brilliant but we need to push on next season.

“The Champions League is the big
one – we need to make sure we continue the form we have been in.”

It wouldn’t be a big game without Brown getting involved in a touch of controversy.

He was booked after the final whistle for getting involved in angry exchanges with Hearts’ players.

“I think Steven MacLean came over to us for a chat because he celebrated when they went 1-0 up,” was Brown’s take on it. “He celebrated in front of me.

“We know each other, so it’s all right.

“I’m not sure what Willie Collum said. I’m sure it was on his wee radio.

“Hearts angered us by scoring a lucky goal, we went up the park and scored two goals and I think we showed our strength.

“Over the 90 minutes, we deserved this.”