Neil Lennon has hailed David Turnbull as “brilliant” after Celtic secured the signature of the Motherwell midfielder.
Turnbull switched Fir Park for Celtic Park on Thursday, signing for a reported fee of £3.25million. (Scottish Sun)
Lennon’s next press conference following a big signing would usually be dominated by chat about the transfer, however the Ferencvaros result meant Friday’s event took on a different tone.
However, the Hoops boss still found time to praise his new recruit as he spoke in glowing terms.
“We’ve brought in David Turnbull. I’m absolutely delighted about that,” he told the media on Friday. (Official Celtic YouTube)
“We’ve got a brilliant, young Scottish talent who we wanted this time last year.
“He’s overcome a lot of obstacles and that speaks volumes for his character.
“Looking at him in the last few games, he’s got a touch of class about him and he’s a very good finisher from midfield.
“I think he’s a top player and we want him to flourish here.”
Lennon must not take it slow with Turnbull
The Celtic boss has a habit of taking it slow when introducing new recruits to the first-team.
Christopher Jullien famously missed our Champions League defeat against Cluj last season, while fans are still waiting for January signings Patryk Klimala and Ismaila Soro to get a proper chance.
However, he simply can’t afford to ease Turnbull in gently.
The Celtic midfield needs a kick-start and 21-year-old Turnbull could be the man to supply that.
Added to that, he is match fit and well aware of the Scottish game, having started all five of Motherwell’s league matches this season.
He knows the league, he even knows the opposition on Sunday. It couldn’t be set up better for the youngster to make his mark.
Hopefully Lennon sees sense and adds some freshness to a midfield that has looked stale so far this season.
It’s what the fans want to see.
In other news, John Hartson has reaffirmed his support for under-fire Celtic boss Neil Lennon with a strongly worded tweet
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