Former Celtic striker Tommy Johnson has revealed Peter Lawwell rejected the chance to bring him back to the club after Neil Lennon wanted him to join his recruitment team.

Johnson has been working at Blackpool since 2019 but his former teammate Lennon wanted him to head up the Hoops' recruitment team after he was given the managers' role on a permanent basis.

The Geordie admitted he was interested in a Parkhead return after playing for the club for four years, but chief executive Lawwell had other plans and instead brought Nicky Hammond in to do the job. 

"There's been rumours and in the past I did actually go up and meet Peter Lawwell twice when Lenny wanted to bring us in last year," Johnson told the Huddle podcast. "The powers that be decided not to. Everybody knows once you've played for Celtic and how much it means to you, and Neil had asked me to come in.

"Nick was in the process of coming in full-time and I think a couple of weeks later he was appointed.

I was all for coming up and helping Neil but it didn't materialise. Lennon wanted us in to help out with recruitment, someone around him who he could talk to. You need, as a manager, someone you can talk to on a personal basis.

"The powers that be decided against it."