NEIL Lennon has been urged to abandon his search for a new first choice goalkeeper and put his faith in Scott Bain as Celtic bid to become the first club ever to win 10 consecutive Scottish titles in the 2020/21 campaign.

Lennon has been keen to strike a deal to bring Fraser Forster, who performed superbly during the time that he spent at Parkhead on loan last season, back to Glasgow in recent weeks.

The Northern Irishman, who lost Craig Gordon to Hearts this summer after the experienced stopper rejected a new contract offer, has also been linked with Vasilis Barkas, Joe Hart, Vaclav Hladky and David Marshall.

He admitted that talks are ongoing with representatives of a couple of players on Saturday after his side had played Lyon in a friendly in France as he revealed that negotiations with Forster appeared to be over.

But Bain, who fell down the pecking order last term and only made eight first team appearances, has started in both of the Veolia Trophy matches in France and offered a timely reminder of what he is capable of.

And Gerry McCabe, the coach who watched the Scot transform himself from joiner’s labourer into an international footballer during his four years at Dundee, is convinced he would help Celtic complete a record-breaking achievement.

“Scott Bain is an outstanding keeper and wouldn’t let Celtic down,” said the former Dens Park assistant. “He is a very confident boy. He believes in his own ability. He has great agility. He has quick feet, gets about his goal and pulls off great saves.

“Celtic are under a bit of pressure to bring in a top class keeper with Craig going and Forster’s loan deal expiring. But Bainy is a top class keeper. He would do a job if he was selected. Neil could do worse than look at him and say: ‘You’re my No.1 – anyone we bring in is going to be a back-up’.

“Bainy is strong-minded. If he gets picked he will believe he’s Celtic’s first choice keeper. He won’t be thinking ‘I’m under pressure here, if I make a mistake I’ll be out of the team’. That’s not Bainy. He would embrace the challenge.”

Bain established himself in the Celtic first team midway through the 2018/19 campaign due in no small part to his expertise at playing the ball out from the back – something that then manager Brendan Rodgers was keen for his keeper to do.

The former Alloa Athletic man, who played part-time during his spell at Recreation Park while building timber frame kits for houses during the week, helped Rodgers’ side complete their second consecutive domestic treble and became a Scotland starter.

A tweak in tactics under Lennon and the arrival of one-time England internationalist Forster saw him fall out of the picture. McCabe, the ex-Clydebank and Hamilton midfielder, could understand the rationale behind both changes. But he still feels Bain has a huge amount to offer.

“A lot of clubs want their keepers playing the ball out from the back these days,” he said. “It is alright doing that if you have Xavi and Andres Iniesta who can take the ball.

“Personally, I would always want my keeper to ensure he doesn’t put my team in any trouble, even if he is confident playing from the back. First and foremost, he is there to stop balls going into the net, to not give possession away.

“Celtic lost a few goals playing out from the back. I think Lenny has got that change right. Don’t put yourselves under pressure, don’t put your defenders under pressure. I would rather watch Neil Lennon’s team than Brendan Rodgers’ side.

“But Bainy is good at clearing to safety as well and if Neil said to him that is what he wants him to do he would do it. He isn’t daft. He can ping balls long if he wants to. At the same time, he is confident playing from the back if his full-backs are on.”

McCabe added: “Bainy has a different stature from Forster, who has greater height and fills the goals more. I can understand Celtic’s thinking. They are going to come up against different type of strikers in Europe. English clubs look for big keepers with presence.

“Lennon clearly thinks Celtic need a right good, strong, big goalkeeper for the new season with 10-In-A-Row up for grabs. But is Joe Hart any better than Scott? He didn’t really play for Burnley last season.

“If Lennon doesn’t get one then he shouldn’t be too disappointed if Bainy is his No.1. Maybe he feels he needs another keeper of Forster’s standard. But Scott is well capable of that. It isn’t a big issue for me.

“Jozo Simunovic is away. I think Celtic should be looking at another centre half. I know Nir Bitton and Hatem Elhamed can play there. But they need back-up in that position. I wouldn’t be too concerned with a goalkeeper.

“If your keeper isn’t the biggest it is all about how your centre backs deal with balls into the box. It then becomes about your keeper producing reaction saves. If you have got someone who can do that, and they have in Scott, he will win you points through the season.”

Bain started in Scotland’s opening two Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and San Marino last year and McCabe is confident he could force his way back into the national squad if he was featuring on a weekly basis for Celtic.

“We were at Dundee when Bainey was first called up by Scotland,” he said. “He deserved it. He was one of the best performers in the team. If he got a run in Neil’s side team I am sure Steve Clarke would look at him again and bring him into the fold.”

McCabe, who is now a scout for English Championship club Millwall, has predicted that Bain, who is under contract at Celtic until 2023, will ask to leave if he is left on the bench or sitting in the stands in the coming months.

“If Scott gets the opportunity in the Celtic team he will take it,” he said. “If he doesn’t I think he will try to move on. He wants to be a No.1 and after a season out will want to get a regular game.”