Chris Sutton has warned Celtic that it would be a ‘massive mistake’ to sell Olivier Ntcham this summer.
The French midfielder is no stranger to speculation about his future and Ntcham is once again being linked with a move away from Parkhead.
According to a report in 90min earlier this month, Everton are among the Premier League teams interested in signing the Celtic star, who cost the club £4.5 million three years ago.
Ntcham originally struggled once Lennon took over from Brendan Rodgers during the 2018-19 campaign, but played a big role in helping the Hoops to a ninth successive Premiership title last term.
This time around, the 24-year-old has been named on the bench for both of Celtic’s league games, prior to the trip to Dundee United this evening, and club legend Sutton believes that Lennon must make him feel wanted in Glasgow.
He told The Record: “Olivier Ntcham is a key player for Celtic. Losing him would be a massive mistake. But I’d imagine the French midfielder really needs to get proper game time to feel valued and wanted.
“It’s going to take real skills and be a real test of Neil Lennon’s management to keep Ntcham happy if the player feels he might be second fiddle if everyone is fit.”
With speculation about Tom Rogic leaving, Celtic can’t possibly also sell Ntcham.
The former Manchester City youth is a much more reliable player than his Australian counterpart in terms of fitness and, with so much at stake this season, Lennon can’t afford to lose players of this quality.
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