CELTIC fans have been urged not to panic and to keep in mind it's Hooper-man not Superman they look like losing.

Former Parkhead star, Stiliyan Petrov, reckons selling Gary Hooper to QPR for £5million would be a blow to Neil Lennon and his plans for this season.

But, the Bulgarian – who himself was sold to Aston Villa for £6.5m in 2006 – insisted the club has learned to cope with losing its top 
talent, then replacing their stars to remain a potent force.

Petrov concedes Hooper's 82 goals since he arrived at Parkhead from Scunthorpe in a £2.4m move three years ago have been very important in helping Lennon's side regain top spot in Scottish football, and a prominent position in Europe.

But, the business plan at the club has been to find raw talent, develop it, and move it on for a profit.

That's what happened with Ki Sung-Yueng, who went to Swansea for £6m, Victor Wanyama when he was sold to Southampton for £12.5m, and is what seems certain to happen with Hooper after it became public Celtic had accepted QPR's offer for the 25-year-old.

Petrov – back at Parkhead to promote the Legends game on September 8, which will raise funds for his leukemia foundation – believes the 
focus should not be on losing Hooper, but in finding the man who will next be asked to lead the line for the club.

He said: "I'd love to see him stay. You could see the difference when he came on against Cliftonville on Tuesday.

"You know big clubs will come after him. But, as long as Celtic get enough money, and they are happy with that and the player is happy, I don't think it will be a problem.

"Celtic always attract good players and, if he goes, there will be somebody else who will come in."

If he can agree terms with QPR, Hooper will be foregoing the chance to win more medals and to play in the Champions League for at least one season in the Championship.

In his seven years at the club, Petrov never managed to get past the group stages, though he did help the Hoops reach the Uefa Cup final in 2003.

He acknowledges it is only when you leave Celtic you can really begin to appreciate what it means to play for the club.

And Petrov predicts his former team-mate, Lennon, will pull out all the stops to get his side back to the latter stages of the Champions League after making it there last season.

"That will be Neil Lennon's target," said the man whose career was cut short when he was struck down with leukemia 16 months ago.

He continued: "But even if they don't, qualifying for the Champions League will be enough, I think.

"It's very important, as a club and financially, to make the group stages, but it's going to be really tough.

"Every club, when they play in the play-offs, spend a lot of money and try to build a strong team.

"Celtic have come through this round, and the next couple of rounds will be even harder, but I think they're ready for it."