Paul Lambert backs old pal Neil Lennon to succeed in Celtic hotseat

Lambert has been linked with the post following Tony Mowbray's departure on Thursday, in the wake of Celtic's 4-0 humbling by St Mirren.

But he preferred to back his former Parkhead team-mate Lennon, who has been placed in interim charge of the team and could lead Celtic for the remainder of the campaign.

"I hope 'Lenny' goes in and does great, I really do," Lambert said. "He's a big friend and a terrific football person and hopefully he'll go in and do well and have some sort of success from now until the end of the season."

Lambert, 40, won every domestic honour available at Celtic in a spell lasting almost eight years, before starting out in management with Livingston in 2005. He has since gone on to manage Wycombe, Colchester and now Norwich.

"I don't have any decision to make," Lambert said. "I love it here, it's a great football place and I've got a great rapport with the people here."

Meanwhile, Mark McGhee insisted he no longer had any interest in going back to Celtic and claimed they would now struggle to attract a top manager.

The Aberdeen manager was interviewed for the Celtic job prior to Mowbray's appointment and was immediately linked with the role following the latter's departure. But the former Celtic striker ruled out a return to the club and labelled the job an even harder sell because Scotland is set to lose its automatic Champions League spot due to the poor performances of its teams in Europe.

"It's a job that, even in the year or so that I was considered for the job, has changed," said McGhee. "With the change in the qualification for the Champions League next year, Celtic – like most other jobs in Scotland – has become a domestic job, with the outside chance of Champions League football.

"When I was considering the job last year, the big attraction was the Champions League, and that's probably not going to be there now – the actual Champions League stage – for some time."