Celtic legend Neil Lennon is the new Dunfermline Athletic boss.
The Pars moved quickly to make the stunning appointment after the sacking of Michael Tidser.
And the deal marks a new chapter for the former Hoops, Bolton, Hibs, Omonia and Rapid Bucharest gaffer.
He has won five league titles, four Scottish Cups, the League Cup, the Scottish Championship and the Cypriot Cup during a glittering managerial career.
The Northern Irishman also masterminded Celtic’s 2012 Champions League upset win over a Barcelona side that included Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Courier Sport looks back at what three of his former players – still starring at the top level – have said about working with him.
Virgil van Dijk
Lennon was Celtic manager when the club plucked Van Dijk, a raw 21-year-old defender, from FC Groningen in 2013 for just £1.75 million.
The move transformed the £75m Dutchman’s career and he has gone on to become Liverpool and Netherlands captain, winning the English Premier League and Champions League along the way.
Five years ago, Van Dijk told the BBC: “I enjoyed every bit of working under him.
“I appreciate all the people who have helped me in my career and got me where I am today.
“He brought me to Celtic so I’ll always be grateful to him for that.
“He has been part of my journey so far. He was good.
“Obviously he was a player himself – he knows how we think, what we go through.
“As a manager he’s very direct, he tells you straight what is right and wrong.
“He’s a special manager and a special man.”
Jeremie Frimpong
The Bayer Leverkusen star hadn’t played a first-team minute when Lennon and Celtic gave him a four-year deal.
Frimpong, a Manchester City youth academy graduate, cost just £300,000.
But he soon became a treble winner at Parkhead before sealing an £11m move to the Bundesliga giants, where he won a league-and-cup double last season.
Lennon was a father figure for the player during his time in Glasgow.
In 2023, the Dutch international told Rising Ballers: “My time at Celtic was amazing. I won everything there.
“There was this manager called Neil Lennon. I love him till this day. He loves me.
“Our relationship was like father and son.
“Sometimes the players would say, ‘Go and speak to your dad!’ and things like that.”
John McGinn
Long before he was the main man for Aston Villa and Scotland, McGinn was a box-to-box midfield star under Lennon at Hibs.
In 2020, he raved about his old boss’ man management.
But the Tartan Army hero, a boyhood Celtic fan, admits the pair clashed occasionally.
He told the Beeb: “He [Lennon] was brilliant but I was surprised at the time – I just don’t know, I didn’t expect it to be Neil Lennon.
“And it was funny, the first few months, we did clash a little bit.
“He was saying, ‘Somebody told me you are a good player but I just don’t see it’.
“I would have a wee bite back but there was instant respect from me for what he has done.
“He was very different but I learned a lot from him because he was just a winner.
“His pre-season was very tough, constant running but you felt good.
“He could make you feel like the best player in the world.
“His man-management skills were better than anything.”
McGinn recalled getting the hairdryer treatment from Lennon after he delivered a poor performance for Hibs against St Mirren in Paisley, up against brother Stephen.
He said: “Stephen played really well and [Neil] said, ‘Best player in the league? You’re not even the best player in your house!’
“He was about an inch away from my face when he said it as well. It was the kind of relationship we had. We respected each other.
“I grew up watching him, as a Celtic fan, and I respected him as a player, so the transition was strange.
“But it was one I got used to pretty comfortably.”
In 2023, Lennon told Coaches’ Voice: “My principle is always: how do I win this game of football?
“No matter where I go, it’s about results.
“Always results. If you stick to the same philosophy and it’s not working, then that’s on you.”
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