Youngsters may force tough calls on Neil Lennon

Neil Lennon admits he has some tough decisions ahead of him with his young players having shouted the case for a Celtic rebuild.

The Hoops boss was delighted by the performances of Ismaila Soro (22), David Turnbull (21), Conor Hazard (22) and Ewan Henderson (20) in last Thursday’s win over Lille.

And with that enthusiasm shared by the fans and the players themselves – Turnbull has already talked movingly of what hitting the winner meant to his family – a couple of the quartet are likely to keep the jerseys for the visit of Kilmarnock this afternoon.

Yet while Lennon hopes their emergence might be the silver lining to the cloud that has hung over Celtic Park during the team’s recent struggles, he knows that leaving established stars like Scott Brown out of his starting line-up is certain to cause a stir.

Especially with the William Hill Scottish Cup Final against Hearts coming up a week today.

“Can a bad run of form be the catalyst for the evolution of a team? Absolutely!” said Lennon.

“At the same time you do have to be careful you don’t over-do it. You have to try to plan it sporadically.

“What the young players have shown is that they are more than capable of playing at a high level, against a high standard of opposition.

“So I have some big decisions to make. What they have done is given me the encouragement that I can rely on them.

“They are fit, they are healthy, they want to make an impression. It is exactly what I want from my squad.

“Whether it be through our playing performances or the whole Covid situation, we have been through a tough period but I am pleased we have come out the other side of it.

“We still have a lot of work to do. We are not getting carried away and saying: ‘Right these players are done, this is new-age Celtic’ . You have to do it bit-by-bit. But it didn’t go beyond me, what last Thursday meant to the ones we brought into the side.

“David, for example, has had to bide his time what with injury and then a bout of Covid. But I thought he took his opportunity brilliantly

“Soro played really, really, well. He was nice and clean with the ball and complemented McGregor excellently. Young Henderson had a really good game, Klimala, there were a lot of positives.

“Together, I think they brought a bit of freshness and a bit of honesty into the team. It augments the squad and gives us that bit of fresh impetus going forward.

“We have been through a tough time recently but we have come through it and have a hugely exciting period ahead of us.

“We have to chase down our rivals in the league and have a Cup Final coming up, which is something to really look forward to.

“If I was still playing I would want to be part of it.”

Hazard’s inclusion has thrown up the intriguing possibility of teacher facing pupil at Hampden next Sunday, with Hearts No. 1 Craig Gordon until recently having played a leading role in the Northern Irishman’s development.

“Craig has been a real positive influence on Conor and I can see similarities between the two,” said Lennon.

“Conor is a good size, he is another lefty, he makes good saves and spreads himself well.

“It is a bit early to make a proper comparison as Craig is an outstanding goalkeeper, one of Scotland’s finest ever.

“At the same time he has earned the right to be where he is with us.

“Being so young he has had to work on his temperament a bit but we have seen a real improvement in him over the last couple of months in terms of his maturity.

“His performances have been absolutely excellent and we were delighted with him against Lille.”

Lennon meanwhile, had an injury update on James Forrest with the Scotland winger still battling through his rehabilitation after a serious ankle issue.

“Jamesie is coming off the crutches at the weekend, which is a step in the right direction,” said the Celtic manager.

“We are probably looking at the end of January. By then we will have an idea of where he is.

“Mikey Johnston is back in training, he will play 45 minutes with the development team on Monday, so we are assessing him but it will be cameo performances from him for the moment.”