JOHN Kennedy has revealed he held talks with his Celtic squad this week as speculation about Eddie Howe being appointed manager at Parkhead intensified.

Former Bournemouth and Burnley manager Howe is the Glasgow club’s preferred candidate to succeed Neil Lennon on a permanent basis – but there is Premier League interest in the Englishman too and he is unlikely to make a decision until the summer.

Glasgow Times:

Kennedy, who was put in interim charge when Lennon resigned back in February, has urged his players to stay fully focused on their remaining Premiership and Scottish Cup fixtures.

Asked whether he had been told by the Celtic board if he would be remaining at the helm until the end of the 2020/21 campaign, he said: “I’ve not had any discussions over that.

“There has obviously been a lot of speculation and stories in the media around the next manager and everything else. But the club are being calm about it and taking their time to make sure they make the right decision.

“I just have to address each game and prepare the team. And I’ll continue to do that until I’m told otherwise. There is a lot of speculation, but I’m used to that having been at Celtic so long! I’ve heard it so many times when the rumour mill goes into overdrive.

Glasgow Times:

“The reality is that so many of these rumours are false. You just have to stay focused on what you can control, which is on the pitch for us. With the players, and especially the new players, I’ve addressed that with them.

“We’ve had a discussion where we’ve said ‘there’s a lot of chat, like there always is around Celtic, but all we can control is what happens on the training pitch and in games’. That’s the way we’ve addressed it.

“We don’t make the decisions, we can’t control that. But we can control how we perform and how we conduct ourselves on a daily basis. We just have to focus on that and nothing else.”

Glasgow Times:

Kennedy, whose side play Livingston at Parkhead tomorrow in their first post-split Premiership fixture, is grateful he has seasoned professionals in his squad who will be undeterred by the growing hysteria surrounding the new manager.

“The joy is having experienced players and guys who have been here a long time is that they have that experience and have learned from it,” he said.

“There is so much talk and uncertainty, but that will take care of itself. The board will decide when the time is right for that and who the right person is.

“But the players will focus purely on football and that’s what they like. Guys like Callum McGregor and Scott Brown will continually reinforce that so it’s not always coming from me.”

Glasgow Times: