Alan Stubbs suggests timing of Celtic’s managerial job offer had something to do with Manchester United

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Neil Lennon will be hoping to guide Celtic to nine Scottish Premiership title wins in a row next season.

BBC Sport pundit Alan Stubbs has suggested that Celtic offering Neil Lennon the managerial job after the Scottish Cup final may have had something to do with Manchester United giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the permanent job prematurely.

Since appointing Solskjaer as their manager, United’s form has gone the other way and Stubbs feels that Celtic didn’t want the same happening with Lennon, hence why he had been offered the job after all the games in the season had been done and dusted.

The Bhoys beat Hearts 2-1 at Hampden Park to win the Scottish Cup, and with it, they secured the treble treble as the club announced on their official Twitter account after the game that Lennon had been offered the full-time role.

Speaking to Sporscene on BBC Scotland (25/05/2019 at 10:50 pm), Stubbs shared his thoughts on Celtic’s timing of Lennon’s appointment.

“I don’t know if it’s anything to do with what happened at Man United where they named Ole Gunnar Solskjaer six, seven weeks ago and how it tailed away for them,” Stubbs told Sportscene.

“It had a bearing on what they did with Neil because he had so much to still fight for. It makes sense. Keep everyone on their toes, keep everyone focused, still got a league to win and still got a Scottish Cup to win and they have obviously named him after the game.”

Just like Solskjaer at Old Trafford, Lennon initially took the managerial hot seat at Parkhead on a temporary basis as he was assigned to secure the Premiership and then the Scottish Cup, which he did.

Whilst Lennon came into the role in a surprising fashion in February because Brendan Rodgers had left in such an abrupt manner, Jose Mourinho’s sacking in December wasn’t a surprise, but Solskjaer’s temporary appointment at the time was.

But the former treble winner started off like a house on fire as the noises for him getting the job increased dramatically from supporters and in the end he was given the job at the end of March.

But United’s performance and results dropped in a dramatic fashion and they ended the season with a defeat to relegated Cardiff City on home soil – Meanwhile, Celtic kept it quiet, got the job done and then offered Lennon the job.