This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

Neil Lennon has assured Celtic fans that he still sees a Parkhead future for want-away midfielder Olivier Ntcham.

What's he said?

After a summer filled with speculation and silly comments, Lennon has moved to quash rumours that Ntcham is no longer wanted by Celtic. The midfielder had said in July that he'd like to leave the club with Scottish football being beneath him, and his manager wasn't happy with the comments.

This appears to be water under the bridge though, with the Bhoys boss picking the France U21 man in his starting XI for Tuesday's crucial Champions League qualifier against Cluj.

Lennon seems to have made peace with Ntcham, stating to The Scottish Sun: "Absolutely. I want him here, I don't want him to go. Obviously for a while, he was thinking maybe his future lay elsewhere, but we've tried to reiterate to him that we want him here and we want his future to be here."

Watch Celtic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The right thing to do

The Parkhead club have been linked to Ecuadorian Jose Cifuentes and Motherwell's David Turnbull, but at this time it looks unlikely a new central midfielder will arrive, meaning Ntcham will likely have a key role to play this campaign.

With Celtic's midfield options not as plentiful as they once were, Ntcham should have a good chance of becoming a first-team regular again.

As well as not having limitless options, Scott Brown isn't getting any younger and will surely need to be rotated more often this campaign than last. Brown has started every game this season, yet the club captain did look lethargic in the first leg of the Cluj tie and in the opening half an hour against Motherwell.

A Celtic fan has claimed Celtic won't just join the EPL in the near future but they'll make the Top 4 as well! Watch the controversial video below...

With Brown needing a rest, Ntcham should welcome the opportunities that'll surely come his way and really use them to his full advantage.

If Ntcham focuses on his current situation at Celtic, rather than pining for a move elsewhere, then he could, once again, become one of the first names on the team sheet rather than suffering another season as a back-up to Brown and Callum McGregor.

[ad_pod ]