Former Celtic star Craig Beattie has urged the Hoops to consider the permanent signing of Neil Lennon following the club’s progress to the Scottish Cup final. The 47-year-old was appointed as the interim boss in February after the surprise departure of Brendan Rodgers and he has since impressed with six wins and two draws from the eight matches which have followed.

In a report covered by The Scottish Sun, Beattie said that Lennon has perfectly handed the pressure on his return to Parkhead and he deserves a permanent contract with the club on the cusp of a treble, he said: “He’s been under a huge amount of pressure since he’s come back in. He’s well on the way to winning the league and the League Cup is already in the bag.

“Sunday was a big match, and they’ve come through it with flying colours. That’ll done his chances of getting the job absolutely no harm whatsoever. You saw at the end of the match the passion and the love he’s got for this club. He’s been around the block, he’s a clever guy. He’s certainly well in contention to get the job full time.”

Aberdeen had been touted as potentially tricky opponents with manager Derek McInnes aiming to end the Hoops’ dominance in terms of trophies. However, that was not the case during the Scottish Cup semi-final where Celtic secured a comfortable 3-0 triumph against an opposition, who played with just nine men for the final quarter of the game.

Celtic are now scheduled to face Hearts in the final of the Cup competition next month and they are certainly favourites to come up triumphs and celebrate a hat-trick of trebles. The Glasgow giants have already won the Scottish League Cup this term, and they appear certain to secure the league title before the end of the month, barring any setbacks.