CELTIC manager Neil Lennon says that John Kennedy won’t be going anywhere after his assistant was linked with the vacant managerial position at Hibernian.

Reports yesterday suggested that the Easter Road club were interested in handing Kennedy his first crack as a first-team manager in his own right, but while Lennon wouldn’t be shocked if clubs were interested in luring him away from Celtic Park, he says that he is desperate to hang on to his right-hand man.

“I don’t want him to go but it doesn’t surprise me because he’s a superb coach,” Lennon said.

“It’s a feather in John’s cap if that’s the case but as far as I’m concerned, he won’t be going anywhere, because he’s an integral part of what we do here.”

One man who might also be in line for an extended stay with Celtic is Jonny Hayes, with Lennon hinting he may hand the wide-man a new contract following his starring role in yesterday’s 2-0 win over Motherwell.

Hayes, preferred to Greg Taylor at left-back, whipped in a cross that Motherwell defender Richard Tait could only divert into his own net to give Celtic their killer second goal on the day after Odsonne Edouard had opened the scoring.

And when asked if Hayes was giving him a decision to make over extending his current deal, which expires in the summer, Lennon said: “He is, yeah. He is popular with the other players and he has shown a real reliability, quality and confidence.

“The pace he brings down that left-hand side, he put in several good crosses [against Motherwell]. He can play wing-back, midfield or left-back. I’m so happy with him and happy for him.

“He knows his role within the parameters of the squad. His fitness levels are fantastic, his pace is fantastic along with his enthusiasm for the game.

“His game intelligence is improving all the time. I thought he was wonderful [yesterday], so he has been a real plus for me. It was probably his best game.

“But he has played in some big games for me - a cup final, a semi-final, a game against Rangers. He has not let me down. He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he does a brilliant job for us.”

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson was pleased with his side’s showing despite the defeat, taking positives from a decent display.

“I take things from the performance, but not the result,” Robinson said. “We are never happy getting beat.

“I have to give a lot of credit to the players, they worked their socks off for me.

“I thought we were very good on the ball from the back to the middle, and I put two attacking subs on to try and got for it.

“We go away, take the positives and we learn again.”