Scott Brown is 'awesome' insists Neil Lennon

Neil Lennon has waxed lyrical about skipper Scott Brown after Celtic's 4-0 demolition of Hearts at Parkhead.

The home side put a dent in any notions the third-placed Hearts have of challenging for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title with a powerful performance which included an Anthony Stokes double in between a James Forrest opener and a late strike from Paddy McCourt, who had come on as a substitute for the winger.

Celtic remain five points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the table, albeit having played two games more than the Ibrox men, and 10 ahead of the Gorgie club.

Amid general delight about the performance, Celtic manager Lennon singled out Brown, who was prompting from wide on the right, for special praise.

"I thought Scott Brown was awesome," he said. "Certain journalists seem to have it in for him but he was fantastic from start to finish. He started the game brilliantly for us, got us playing, got us going and you could see everything that was good about his game.

"I thought he was a real leader and that's why he is captain. I thought his booking was a joke but I'm not going to comment on referees."

• Netherlands defender Edson Braafheid, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Celtic, has joined Hoffenheim from Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich on a three-year contract.

Braafheid, 24, said the transfer is "very important for my further development, particularly with a view to the national team." The defender struggled to establish himself at Bayern after arriving from FC Twente in 2009, and only played 12 Bundesliga matches for the club. He also played 12 games for Celtic during his loan spell, before going on to play in the World Cup final against Spain. Braafheid is the second Netherlands international to arrive at Hoffenheim this week, following winger Ryan Babel's transfer from Liverpool.