The Bolton Wanderers loanee was a massive Stilyan Petrov fan growing up.
Bolton Wanderers loanee Barry Bannan has been discussing his time at Celtic as a youngster and some of the players he looked up to whilst he was in Glasgow.
The former Aston Villa man admitted a cult hero at the club was his main hero but that his current loan boss Neil Lennon was also on the shortlist.
The current Crystal Palace owned man told The Bolton News:
“He [Lennon] was a big influence in me going to Bolton. I spoke to Joe Ledley and Stiliyan Petrov – guys who have worked under him and know him. They had good things to say and I was keen to go and work under him.
“He was at Celtic when I was there as a youngster but we never met. He was a player I liked but Petrov was the one I looked up to as he was more attacking. When you are younger, you like guys who are scoring goals.
“I looked up to all those players in that team but Petrov was the main one.”
Bannan of course played with Petrov at Villa, before leaving the club in 2013, joining up with Palace. He has struggled for first-team football at Selhurst Park under Alan Pardew but is currently enjoying his time working under a man he admired from afar at Celtic.
Bannan, from Airdrie, played for Celtic for two years as a boy, leaving the club for Villa in 2004 aged 15 after a successful trial.
A more attacking minded midfielder than the more bullish Lennon his affinity for Petrov makes sense. But if Lennon decides not to give him a deal at Bolton now, he may rue not telling a little white lie when choosing between the pair of Celtic icons.
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