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Neil Lennon raves about ‘outstanding’ Celtic man Olivier Ntcham

Olivier Ntcham (21) steps on referee’s line spray forcing the bottle to explode white foam all over pitch during the UEFA Champions League Qualifii...
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It looks like Olivier Ntcham may be back in the Celtic manager’s good books.

25th May 2019, Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland; Scottish Football Cup Final, Heart of Midlothian versus Celtic; Ryan Edwards of Hearts slides in to tackle Olivier Ntcham of Celtic

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told The Scottish Sun that he was chuffed with the ‘outstanding’ Olivier Ntcham last night.

The Hoops beat Estonian side Nomme Kalju 2-0 to move into the third round of Champions League qualifiers.

Ntcham was given his first start of the season by Lennon on the back of some controversial comments.

Not only did the Celtic midfielder reveal earlier this month that he wanted to join Porto last summer, but he mentioned that he was ‘flattered’ to be linked with the likes of Marseille this time around.

It remains to be seen whether the 23-year-old stays in Glasgow but, speculation aside, the Northern Irish manager was delighted with his display last night.

He told The Scottish Sun: “I thought Olivier Ntcham was outstanding considering that’s his first run out really since he came back.”

Celtic fans were loving the former Manchester City prospect last night but, cynically, you wonder if he’s completely committed to the cause in Scotland.

Lennon has previously revealed that he has held clear-the-air talks, but it isn’t unusual for a linked-away player to play out of their skin amid speculation.

Question is, did Ntcham want to impress his manager or the manager of a different team ahead of the final month of the window? Time will tell.

Glen Kamara of Rangers challenges Oliver Ntcham of Celtic during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox Stadium on May 12, 2019 in Glasgow, Scotland.