Neil Lennon comments on Boli Bolingoli and Christopher Jullien

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Celtic take on AIK in the Europa League this evening.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has told The Scottish Sun that both Christopher Jullien and Boli Bolingoli will start again AIK tonight – and compared them to Teemu Pukki.

The Bhoys are in Europa League action tonight, and will be major favourites to see off the Swedish side over two legs and reach the group stage.

Some fans will still fear the worst though after losing to CFR Cluj last week, and boss Lennon needs to avoid another shock in order to ease some of the pressure on him.

One of the decisions which baffled fans last week was leaving new boys Jullien and Bolingoli on the bench, despite splashing the cash to sign them this summer.

Pundits have wondered whether Lennon was the one who signed the duo if he wouldn’t even pick them for such a big game, but he’s had his say now.

Lennon has claimed that both players will start tonight, even though Bolingoli is lacking in confidence, adding that the Belgian is training well at the moment.

Lennon called for patience from fans too, as he doesn’t want players written off too soon, highlighting former Bhoys striker Teemu Puki – now a Premier League hero with Norwich City – as an example of how players need time to adjust at Celtic.

“Pukki had a year or so at Celtic and only scored nine goals,” said Lennon. “Now he’s one of the most sought after players in England. It’s a great story and fantastic for him. With the players we have here we’re determined to get the best out of them and let them enjoy their time at Celtic and enjoy their football. I’m delighted it’s worked out for Teemu at Norwich, but it shows people here often write players off too quickly. That’s the environment we’re in. It’s almost: ‘Needs must, get him in and hit the ground running’, or after three games it’s: ‘He’s a dud, get rid of him’.

“Jullien is doing fine. Bolingoli is lacking a bit of confidence, but he’s training well so I’m sure there’s more to come from him. They haven’t hit the ground running yet, but we’ve got hopes they will come good. We have to be patient. Other people aren’t patient. We have to work with them — they will play against AIK and hopefully it will be a step in the right direction for them to show what they are really all about,” he added.