THE Scottish Football Association should approach Hibernian manager Neil Lennon to ascertain his desire to take the Scotland job, according to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Michael O’Neill’s rejection of the role this week has left the national team still looking for a manager following the exit of Gordon Strachan last October.

Rodgers believes that Lennon is an ideal candidate for the post ahead of the inaugural Nations League which takes place over a 10-week period in September and November this year. The tournament will provide Scotland with a second route to qualification for the European Championship, with four places available via a play-off system.

Asked if the SFA should think of Lennon, Rodgers said: “100 per cent, 100 per cent.

“I think they should at least ring him to see if he’s interested. Because I’m sure that could be a great fit.

“He’s tactically good. He’ll have worked with a lot of the players. He knows the game up here having also had a stint down south as well. He’s got a really good football brain

“Yeah, I think they should be certainly seeing if he’s interested in the job. There is absolutely no question for me. There have been a number of guys that have been touted for the job.

“But for me Lenny has to be one.

“They certainly have to ask the question because he would be a huge success at it.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has confirmed that Celtic will write to the SFA ahead of the forthcoming friendlies against Peru and Mexico at the end of May and start of June, games that the Parkhead side will request their players sit out.

Fearing that over exposure to games will “break” the likes of emerging talents such as Kieran Tierney, Rodgers has re-iterated the requirement for rest and recovery in order to maximise the standard and quality of the game.

“It’s not ideal,” said the Celtic manager. “We’ll do a letter to the SFA and it will obviously be easier once there is a manager in place because then that allows for communication.

“It is not just for Celtic, it is a wider issue for the team that is in there trying to represent Scotland in the Champions League format. You want to have every chance to get in there. Why? Because you are representing Scotland first and foremost and you are in there as that sole team from the nation. When you qualify, as we have done for the last few seasons now, the money that is generated from that goes to every Scottish club and sometimes that is the most money that they get.

“Already my feeling is that this feels like a back-to-back season up here. Some of our players got six days off, the maximum some of them had was three weeks and then they are into a real schedule. Of course I am concerned as a Celtic manager with eight players in the squad but also I am concerned for Scotland as a game.

“Are you going to break young players like Kieran Tierney? These young players who are coming through, they are not robots. I know the game is about stats and numbers and tactics on a computer but these are human beings and if you are not careful you can break them.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers says Celtic are not looking to sell Moussa Dembele in the January transfer window. The club have turned down a formal bid for the striker this week which falls below their valuation and Rodgers expects Dembele to remain a Celtic player when the transfer window comes to a close next week.

The French under-21 internationalist appeared to be on his way out of Glasgow with Chris Davies, Celtic’s assistant boss, stating earlier this week he felt Dembele was preparing to exit the club.

All the signs had pointed to Celtic being resigned to losing the striker who has been benched and overlooked for recent games against Brechin and Partick Thistle amid interest from Stoke City, Crystal Palace, Everton and Roma.

“The situation with Moussa is absolutely fine,” he said. “The boy has two-and-a-half years left on his deal here but there’s a lot of speculation. We don’t want to sell him. Simple as that. We’ve had one bid that’s come in and it’s way under his value to us. But the message is - we don’t want to sell.”

Rodgers had spoken of his belief Dembele’s focus had been affected by the speculation regarding his future earlier this month, however he was at pains to stress that the player’s professionalism has not been questioned by anyone at the club. That appears to be backed up by the fact there has been nothing said publicly by either the striker or his representatives this month. Certainly Celtic appear to have gone from bracing themselves for Dembele’s exit to anticipating his presence for the remainder of the season.

“His behaviour has been great,” insisted Rodgers. “Yes, there was a slight focus that moved away, which I can understand and I think everyone can understand why that is. I have said since my first day in here that I always pick a team on attitude and energy.

“That never changes. Whether someone is playing or not, that’s what we look for and it’s nothing personal. It’s what the team needs.

“Moussa has been training well. This is a really unstable period for a lot of players and you’ll have seen and heard about players in this situation downing tools or going AWOL. This kid has never done that. He’s never once asked to leave.”