Lennon was a player then, and might have now thought about using an audience with the Special One to get his thoughts on the fringe players that made up the Celtic team that lost 2-0 to Mourinho's Real Madrid. Instead, their conversation quickly centred on Dylan McGeouch, the 19-year-old Celtic forward who was stretchered off after a long period of treatment.
Mourinho was not alone in his concern for McGeouch, who suffered a fractured jaw and tooth damage, and will go straight to hospital today for surgery when the Celtic squad return from the USA.
Lennon, Peter Lawwell, the chief executive of Celtic, and physio Tim Williamson were in contact with McGeouch's family after disturbing images of the player were beamed back from Philadelphia on Saturday night. Nuri Sahin, the Madrid player who accidentally caused the injury in a collision, also visited the Celtic dressing room to pass on his best wishes for a speedy recovery.McGeouch is expected to be out of action for several weeks.
Before leaving Philadelphia last night, the manager said: "We've booked him into the Southern General tomorrow. He'll be having a plate put in. Dylan's also damaged a tooth which will probably have to come out. We believe he's going to be out four to six weeks."
Along with medical staff, Lennon rushed on to the field to offer what assistance he could as players from both teams turned away in worry.
"The boys were really concerned because they didn't see any kind of consciousness with Dylan. I think he was out cold before he hit the ground. He was just lying there flat, and that's always a major worry.
"I spoke to Dylan's father last night, while Peter and Tim have also spoken to him. We just wanted to reassure him Dylan was okay. It's so far away from home that it must have been a worrying time for his parents. But the fact he's coming home with us is a big boost."
Celtic lost to goals from Jose Maria Callejon and Karim Benzema. Afterwards the managers' reminiscence over their previous meeting took second place to discussion of McGeouch's condition. "Jose was anxious to know about Dylan, and that says a lot about him," said Lennon. "We didn't even mention Seville. But, when we swapped shirts, I said, 'Do you remember that shirt?' Jose said, 'Of course, I've got special memories of that night.'"
McGeouch is not the only injury concern for Lennon. Gary Hooper missed the match due to tightness in his hamstrings, and Daryl Murphy lasted only 32 minutes before coming off with a similar problem. Anthony Stokes did not survive the warm-up, the ankle injury he sustained at the end of last month again flaring up.
Lennon reported: "Gary should be okay. His was precautionary. But Stokesy is a bit of a slight concern because he suffered his ankle injury in the Inter game and it's still bothering him. We'll maybe have to shut him down for four or five days just to get it right. Daryl's got a hamstring strain, so he'll have to be scanned. Scott Brown, James Forrest and Paddy McCourt [who did not travel] will be resting for four or five days while they get over their injections [for hip and groin injuries]. Hopefully, they'll start training by the end of the week."
REACTION Broken jaw to Dylan McGeouch overshadows friendly against Real, writes Ronnie Cully
