Neil Lennon has admitted he felt Chris Sutton's comments on Rangers captain James Tavernier were "out of order".
The former Celtic manager, currently Dunfermline boss, called out remarks by Sutton during Sky Sports coverage on Sunday.
Pundit Sutton previously stated Tavernier had a heart the size of a pea while criticising his defending in the loss to Hearts on Monday.
Sutton said: "He has a heart the size of a pea, he really does.
“He is bad on both goals. He should react at the first, smell the danger and block it – he doesn’t.
❌ "I thought his comments were out of order!"
Neil Lennon hits out at Chris Sutton's criticism of James Tavernier, saying he's a "big admirer" of the Rangers captain ahead of his final match against Celtic 👏 pic.twitter.com/vXISK3Lrxc— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 10, 2026
“Then he is so lax at the second and he has killed his team.”
Lennon, though, insists Tavernier has not been the problem at Rangers, instead stating he has been a major admirer of the full-back throughout his time in Glasgow.
"Chris can't comment on that, he doesn't know what goes on there," said Lennon, speaking on Sunday during coverage of Celtic vs Rangers.
"I thought his comments were out of order.
"Tavernier, over the years, I have been a big admirer of him.
"He has carried Rangers in games, I think.
"Especially in these big games, the run to the Europa League final he was fantastic. I don't know what his goal record is, but it's amazing for a full-back.
"He is coming to the end of his time, his legs are starting to go a bit...would I have James Tavernier in my team? 100 per cent.
"For me he has not been the problem. He has stood up and taken all the flak and always come back."
Asked what has been the problem, Lennon responded: "The players around him. I have seen so many failures at Rangers; he has actually not been one of them."
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