Neil Lennon answers St Johnstone salvage job question as 'very difficult' gig has former Celtic boss thinking carefully

Neil Lennon refused to rule out replacing Steven MacLean at St Johnstone - hinting he might be interested in a Perthshire rescue mission.

Lennon has been out of work for more than a year since his stint in Cyprus came to an end and he declared interest in a return to Hibs before Nick Montgomery eventually got the job. Lennon remains on the lookout for a move back into management though and bookies have him firmly in the running alongside the likes of Robbie Neilson and David Martindale.

But would he be interested in taking it if talks arose? The former Celtic boss was asked that very question on PLZ Soccer. "Maybe. I think it's a very difficult job currently," he said. "I think when you look at how difficult it's been for Steven you've got to pay tribute to the job previous managers, Tommy Wright, Callum Davidson did.

"They don't have a huge budget. They've always been a difficult team to play against. They are really well set up defensively and there's goals in the team.

"This season they just look bereft of any idea of how they're going to score a goal and they're leaking goals at the other end. There was maybe an inevitability of Steven leaving and this is the danger sometimes.

"I know he was in the system but he's a rookie and this will have been a tough learning experience for him. As for my own expectations, probably not at the minute."