The 26-year-old Englishman has been out of action since suffering an Achilles tendon injury in the Scottish Communities League Cup win over Ross County on September 21.

The summer Bosman arrival was a mainstay of Lennon's team until he succumbed to this problem.

And, with Glenn Loovens limping off with a calf injury at Tannadice on Sunday, his return could not be better timed.

Lennon said: "Kelvin is fit, but he has only trained three or four days, or, at the most a week.There is a bounce game tomorrow and I want him to play in that and get 90 minutes.

"It would be good for him to get the game under his belt because he has had no football at all since his injury."

The Celtic defence has suffered without the pace and composure Wilson brings to it.

And, while Loovens and Daniel Majstorovic have improved their performances in recent weeks – with only one goal conceded in Celtic's last four SPL games – Lennon never made any attempt to hide the fact Wilson was the man around who he believed he should build his back line.

"Yes, I did," he admitted. "And he was doing very well until he got injured.

"But at a club like this, you don't want to get injured because eventually players find a consistency, and now we are winning games and it's difficult to change the team."

That, effectively, is throwing the gauntlet down to Wilson to push his way back into the starting XI.

Lennon wants to have serious competition across his squad as he realises it is the most effective way to ensure standard of performance is kept as high as possible. It is a situation the manager has tried to engineer with his signings. But the number of injuries suffered this season has undermined the plan.

Now, with Wilson joining Scott Brown in the queue for a starting place again, and Emilio Izaguirre not far behind them, Lennon will have some big calls to make in terms of picking the correct team every week.

It's a challenge he relishes, pointing out that it is much more preferable to having to make do and mend the way he was forced to do when he was deprived of so many players through an injury list which, at one stage, had almost an entire team receiving treatment.

"That's the nature of the job, and what you want is competition for places," concurred Lennon. "We are getting that now.

"Hopefully, we will get Joe Ledley back soon, Charlie Mulgrew and Badr El Kaddouri as well, so the left side of the pitch will be a little bit stronger."

The sight of Scott Brown coming on as an energetic substitute in the last two games has already given everyone at the club a lift, a feelgood factor further boosted by the captain's decision to finally sign his new, long-term contract.

Although he will be given time to find his feet – and second wind – once again after his three-month lay-off following ankle surgery, like Wilson, Brown will find his progression to a starting place stepped up a gear tomorrow.

Lennon confirmed: "Scott was a bit rusty at Tannadice, which is understandable.

"Hopefully, tomorrow's game will give him some football time, and we'll just drip-feed him into the team."

Given the damaging injury list which the club has had to endure this season, it is understandable that no chances will be taken with any of the returning players.

In Brown's case, the challenge will be to curtail his natural enthusiasm.

He has already been biting his manager's ear for the chance to add his weight to the momentum the team has been building in recent weeks.

And the 23 minutes he was on the pitch at Tannadice, added to the short period he was allowed near the end of last week's Europa League tie against Atletico Madrid at least allowed Brown the opportunity to vent some of his frustration.

That said, not everyone was happy that Loovens was removed to make way for the captain's substitute appearance against United on Sunday – not least the Dutchman himself.

"Glenn was feeling his calf and had a bit of cramp," explained Lennon. "The physio said it could get worse, so we decided to take him off.

"Glenn was a bit unhappy about it, but he is an important players for us and we just have to be careful he does not pick up any more injuries."

The imminent arrival of Mikael Lustig from Rosenborg at the end of this month will provide even more options and competition at the back.

The manager is continuing to follow up recommendations from his scouting team ahead of the transfer window re-opening.

Another striker is a priority, and Maritimo's Baba Diawara and Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes remain on the list of possibles.

But Danny Webber's name has already been struck off as the former Manchester United striker's hopes of a trial have been dashed.

Lennon confirmed: "It's not going to happen."

It may be coincidence, but the news that the manager wants to augment his striking options has coincided with a return to scoring form of Gary Hooper.

The Englishman's hot streak – five in his last three starts, including a hat-trick against Dunfermline – has shot him two ahead of Anthony Stokes in the race to be top dog.

John Hartson famously said that, as a striker for Celtic, you should be scoring a minimum of 20-25 goals every season.

Lennon takes a much more pragmatic approach and said: "It's easier said than done.

"But those two lads are very, very capable of that, and they are well on their way already.

"Gary had a little dip in form. We don't know why, but it happens to young players.

"Since then, he has been sensational, and he looks in really good nick and looks happy with life.

"He took his goal at Tannadice brilliantly, and Anthony is also working hard, even if the scoring run he was on has come to a bit of a halt in the last couple of weeks."