Neil Lennon has been appointed Celtic’s new permanent manager.
The Northern Irishman returned to Parkhead on a caretaker basis in February and has now been handed the reins full-time after the team successfully completed their push for a third consecutive domestic clean sweep.
But as the club looks to keep their tight grip on the Scottish game, there are some major tasks ahead of Lennon.
Here, Press Association Sport examines some of the short-term issues the 47-year-old needs to deal with.
Clear the deadwood
The most pressing job on Lennon’s list will be trimming down a bloated squad that has helped see the club’s total wage bill soar to £59million. Dorus De Vries, Scott Allan, Jeremy Toljan, Emilio Izaguirre and Cristian Gamboa are among those who have already gone but the likes of Marvin Compper, Youssouf Mulumbu, Conor Hazard, Eboue Kouassi and Daniel Arzani remain despite making little – if any – contribution on the pitch.
Strengthen the weak spots
Get up to speed for Europe
Win over the doubters
News that Lennon had been given the job on a permanent basis did not exactly go down with unanimous acclaim from the Hoops faithful. Having grown accustomed to having a big name boss like Brendan Rodgers in charge, the fans were hoping for another stellar appointment such as Rafael Benitez. Lennon has credit in the bank following on from his previous stints as captain and manager of the club but there are those who remain sceptical about his abilities following his troubled spell at Bolton and acrimonious departure from Hibernian.
Work out the priorities
