John Barnes has backed Neil Lennon to land 10-In-A-Row with Celtic, while rubbishing any talk that the Hoops boss should be sacked.

The Northern Irishman has come under pressure this week after his side crashed to defeat against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.

Celts are also nine points behind Rangers in the race for the Scottish Premiership, albeit having two games in hand.

Lennon guided Celtic to a 4-1 victory over Motherwell on Sunday and Barnes insists he is simply the only man capable of taking the Glasgow giants to the pinnacle of reaching ten titles in a row.

He told bonuscodebets.co.uk: “The win against Aberdeen last Sunday was very important as you could tell the players were in a desperate need of a confident boost; despite losing against Sparta.

"When it comes to a club that has won the Scottish Premiership nine times in a row, it’s inevitable to feel the pressure when things do not go your way.

"That’s the nature of the game, it’s part of the job, and that will never ever change. Being a manager when you’re on a winning streak is one thing, but to have someone like Neil Lennon when things are tough is really what you want.

"He’s a great manger with a wealth of experience under his belt - someone players respect, which isn’t always easy to find.

"It’s important to remember that even in a 10-In-A-Row season, we’re still only a few games into the campaign and to throw Neil out with the bathwater after a rough patch will most likely stand in the way for Celtic’s chances to get 10-In-A-Row, rather than the other way around. 

“If anyone could inspire, and remind, the Celtic team what they’re working towards this season, it’s Lennon.” 

Barnes was also quick to stick up for Celtic defender Shane Duffy who has endured a tough time of it since arriving on-loan from Brighton.

He continued: "Duffy’s loan move from Brighton came with plenty of excitement and rightly so. I don’t think he’s had a hard time adapting, or adjusting, to the club; he’s played well.

"He’s  joined a team that have lost a number of matches, and that’s never fun, and it’s easy to blame the ’new boy'. It’s strange times just now and you also play without any crowd, which is starting to impact the players more and more.    

"But Shane Duffy is a good player so once Celtic find that much needed consistency, I think he’ll play an important role this season.” 

On the importance of Scott Brown to Celtic, Barnes added: "He's been a Celtic stalwart for many years. And of course at his age now maybe his performance is not going to be what it used to be, but he still has a huge influence on the dressing room, particularly if things aren't going well.

"Of course it's easy when you don't need leaders when you're winning every week. But now, as Celtic are going through a rough patch, and struggling, this is when you need leaders in the dressing room, who've got the experience to carry you through. Scott Brown is still the man. So yeah, he's a little bit harshly treated, in my opinion.” 

John Barnes was speaking to bonuscodebets.co.uk