NEIL Lennon believes a Scot should be manager of the national team.

The Celtic interim manager was linked with the job but isn't interested and even gave the SFA some recommendations.

Lennon said: "International football has never really appealed to me.

"My own opinion is that the Scotland manager should be Scottish. I know that may seem an antiquated viewpoint on it.

"But it’s the national sport and if I was to manage my country I know how much that would mean to me.

"Aberdeen and Kilmarnock fans will not thank me for it but Derek McInnes and Stevie Clarke are two outstanding managers and candidates.

Glasgow Times:

READ MORE: Celtic manager Neil Lennon rules himself out of Scotland job

"You have Malky Mackay and Scott Gemmill in the SFA as well of course.

"Then you have the likes of Alex Neil who has done brilliant wherever he has been, while David Moyes is an outstanding name."

Lennon believes the SFA were wrong to get rid of Alex McLeish and before him Gordon Strachan.

He said: "I think the decision to get rid of Eck was premature.

"It looks like it was based on one performance and one result, which is ludicrous.

"I also think that, at the time, they shouldn’t have got rid of Gordon. There was progress being made.

"There was an identity to the way Scotland played and they were unbeaten in seven or eight qualifying games, which hadn’t happened in quite a while.

"There was undoubtedly progress being made and they took it away.’

Glasgow Times:

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"The guy who comes in has a good opportunity to take Scotland to a major tournament for the first time in 20 years.

"Just think what that would mean to football here, to the country and for that individual.

"I think it’s a great incentive and motivation to take the job on.

"And I think the players are good enough to do that.

"I like the day to day stuff and I always feel that if you lost a game and didn’t work again for two two or three months you’d be stewing over it all that time.

"It’s bad enough doing it for two or three days never mind two or three months.

"At the minute, at this juncture of my life, it wouldn’t appeal to me no."