Victor Wanyama says he is thankful for the support Celtic boss Neil Lennon gave him at the club.
The Kenyan midfielder played under Lennon between 2011 and 2013 before earning a move to the English Premier League. He spent three seasons with Southampton but is now at Tottenham Hotspur.
27-year-old Wanyama may be gearing up for his first Champions League final this weekend but that hasn’t stopped him from saying some nice things about Celtic and Lennon.
Wanyama told the Daily Record: “I will always be grateful to Celtic for what they did for me and my career and I will always be grateful to Neil Lennon, too.
“He taught me the game and made me a mature player. He gave me that understanding which let me go on.
“I haven’t heard from him, but I watched their game against Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final last Saturday and I was cheering for them.
A timely reminder
Wanyama is a reminder of the good work Celtic used to do in the transfer window. The club signed a number of talented youngsters in Neil Lennon’s first spell in the club, developing them and then selling on for a large profit.
When announcing that Lennon had been offered the job, chief executive Peter Lawwell commented on one of his perks being that he has an eye for a good player.
That much is true of Lennon. He did have his odd failed signing but the vast majority had an impact for Celtic. He’s unlikely to leave the club in the same mess as his predecessor Brendan Rodgers.
Celtic need to get their act together in terms of recruitment this summer. If they can get Lennon working with a good head of recruitment then we may just uncover another Victor Wanyama.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
