NEIL Lennon has revealed he is still in the dark about his future despite leading Celtic to their eighth consecutive Scottish title at the weekend – as a report in Italy that claimed Jose Mourinho had been approached about taking over at Parkhead was shot down.
Lennon celebrated with his players on the pitch following a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday that put them out of touch of their nearest challengers Rangers in the Ladbrokes Premiership table.
The Northern Irishman, who was placed in temporary charge of the Glasgow club when Brendan Rodgers left for Leicester City back in February, has now gone undefeated in 11 matches.
However, he admitted he is still unsure if he will be kept on beyond the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Hearts at Hampden on May 25 – a game his team must win to become the first in Scottish football history to complete a third straight domestic treble.
Celtic sources yesterday dismissed a Sky Italia report claiming they had approached Mourinho, who has been out of work since being sacked by Manchester United in December, about taking over in the summer.
The odds on the charismatic Portuguese coach, who has spent spells in the dugout with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid during his career, being appointed had been slashed from 66-1 to 20-1 by bookmakers last weekend after a flurry of bets.
Asked what his personal situation was, Lennon said: “I don’t know. I just want to enjoy this moment and see my family because I haven’t spent much time with them. I’ll take stock of things over the next couple of days."
The 47-year-old, who has been involved in the scouting of Celtic signing targets in recent weeks despite not knowing if his services will be retained next season, was quick to downplay his role in their latest triumph.
However, he paid thanks to chief executive Peter Lawwell and major shareholder Dermot Desmond, who he revealed he had spoken to before the Aberdeen game, for their backing in recent weeks.
"There are plans in place going forward," he said. “There are going to be changes staff-wise behind the scenes that we obviously need to do.
"But right now I just want to live in the moment. I’m ecstatic. I think people lose sight of a lot of things, not just the form this team has shown since the turn of the year.
“They are on the cusp of a treble treble - at what cost going forward I don’t know. But the expectation level just builds and builds. People need to put a perspective on it at times.
“I played a small part. If I was a player and played in 10 games, I’d say I made a contribution. This is just the same. I was basically doing my job, what I was entrusted to do."
Lennon added: “I’m grateful to Peter and Dermot for their words privately. We’ve done what we were expected to do - I can’t believe anyone doubted me really!
“Seriously, though, I had a good chat to Dermot on the phone on Saturday morning. He’s still very much involved and I’m sure he will be delighted.”
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