Neil Lennon loves a challenge, but not in the English Premiership

THE meeting with Internationale in the Dublin Super Cup on Saturday provides Celtic manager Neil Lennon with the sort of high-calibre opposition he could expect to pit himself against regularly were he coaching in the English Premier League.

For a man emotionally, almost spiritually, wedded to Celtic, the prospect of going south doesn't hold the irresistible appeal it would for so many others in the Scottish game (Rangers' Steven Davis and Allan McGregor other notable exceptions).

"We are talking hypothetically here, but to leave here it would really have to be something special," Lennon said. "This club gives you everything in terms of excitement, energy and challenges - it would be hard to replicate anywhere else. There wasn't a lure of England for me after I left Leicester for Celtic, we had such a good team and so much going on here.

"For the current Celtic players, they should stay here and develop, in my opinion for another year before they even think about going anywhere else. They got a real connection with the supporters with the football style they play that would be difficult to replicate at other clubs.

"The atmosphere is still pretty raw, there is still a good energy around the stadium which you don't see very often in England just now. I have been to some games and the lack of atmosphere is jumping out at you at times. It is still a brilliant league, don't get me wrong, some fabulous players there, but I think Celtic offers just as much in football terms if not financial terms."

The invite to the Dublin Cup along with 2010 Champions League winners Inter and the world's richest club, Manchester City, may be a case in point. Celtic have been criticised for the stop-start to their Scottish Premier League programme their participation in Ireland has caused, with it seemingly forgotten it was arranged before the SPL kick-off was brought forward.

"I am delighted we are going there," Lennon said. "In between Hibs and Aberdeen we play against a team like Inter which will also give us a gauge of what we are going to come up against in Europe and it will give us a European feel as well. Which again we will need before the Europa League qualifying tie (in three weeks]."