Celtic interim coach Johan Mjallby believes Neil Lennon is the man to lead the Glasgow club on a permanent basis.

The former Celtic defender is assisting Lennon until the end of the season after the sacking of Tony Mowbray.

"I've been very impressed by Neil Lennon so far," said Mjallby. "If we get the team to start winning, we should at least be in the running.

"I think he's the right man at the moment to show them how important it is to wear the Celtic jersey with pride."

Mjallby, who played for Celtic between 1998 and 2004, returned to Glasgow last week, when reserve Lennon took charge following the shock 4-0 league defeat at St Mirren that ended Tony Mowbray's tenure.

I think a success would be to win as many wins as possible, and hopefully go on a winning run and win the Scottish Cup. Celtic coach Johan Mjallby

The Swede was forced into an immediate answer when the call for assistance came from Lennon, but he jumped at the chance to work with his old team-mate and believes the former Northern Ireland captain could earn the manager's role on a permanent basis.

"Obviously me and Neil haven't talked about continuing our relationship, because me and other coaching staff just want to help him as much as possible," said Mjallby.

"I think Neil was the right man for the job, because he's been in and about the club.

"It was an unlucky situation, because the previous manager had to go - but it was perfect for them at a time when it's very hard to get someone in."

Celtic are currently 10 points behind leaders Rangers in the Scottish Premier League title race, having played a game more, but Mjallby believes the club has enough talent to mount a challenge and will not give up until it is no longer possible to win it.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Are Neil Lennon and Johan Mjallby the men to lead Celtic?

"We still have a chance," said Mjallby. "Mathematically, we are going to fight for every point and get as many wins as possible.

"It's not in our hands, because we are behind - but we will go into every game and try to win it.

"There's a lot of talented players here and we don't have much time left of the season.

"The main thing is to try to lift the spirits. The talent is here, so hopefully we can get on a winning run.

"I think a success would be to win as many wins as possible and hopefully go on a winning run and win the Scottish Cup.

"If we can win quite a few league games from now on and at least close the gap.

"It's not over yet - and as long as it's not over, we're going to try and fight for every point we can."

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