Neil Lennon had plenty to smile about after the 2-0 win away to Nomme Kalju booked Celtic a third round qualifier against Cluj as they hunt down a place in the group phase of the Champions League.
The hoops boss decided to rest half a dozen first picks and discovered that his squad men are more than capable of stepping up and making an impact.
Christopher Jullien getting 90 minutes and Marian Shved scoring as a substitute were obvious highlights but there was one other performance that drew the approval of the Celtic boss.
“I thought Olivier Ntcham was outstanding considering that’s his first run out really since he came back,” Lennon told Radio Scotland (25 minutes in) after the final whistle.
Earlier this month the midfielder looked as if he could have played his last game for the club after an outburst in French newspaper L’Equippe that was highly critical of Scottish football and claimed that Celtic had pulled out of a transfer deal with Porto.
After a dynamic first season Ntcham was a shadow of himself last term highlighted by a bizarre first half red card away to St Mirren less than a fortnight after scoring the only goal in the opening Glasgow derby.
Lennon has admitted to interest in Jose Cifuentes but if Ntcham is in the right mindset there may be no need for the young midfielder from Ecuador.
