NEIL LENNON says that Scott Bain is bang in contention to be Celtic's first-choice goalkeeper after an impressive display against Lille.
Bain saved a penalty and had several other decent stops as he stepped in for Vasilis Barkas, with the £5m keeper only able to make the bench as he recovers from a back injury.
But Lennon says that Barkas's hefty price-tag does not guarantee that the Greek keeper will automatically displace Bain when he is fully fit.
“Scott was always in and around it anyway," Lennon said. "He’s trained well and the time between coming back in June. I think there has been a real sea change in his attitude to his work.
“He’s in the gym very early in the morning and he’s reaping the benefits of that. We put a lot of trust in him and faith as we do in Barkas as well, but Scott has done his chances no harm with another big performance.
“When you go away in Europe, you need your goalkeeper to play well and he stood up. He can be pleased with himself as we are.
"I was delighted with Scott. I thought he was excellent. We felt really aggrieved at the penalty decision. But Scott made a great save and a couple of great saves inn the first half.
"Everything he did he handled well."
Lennon has also challenged two-goal hero Moi Elyounoussi to show more consistency after a stunning display.
“I thought he played really well," he said. "His footwork was good, he was strong and that’s the best I’ve seen him.
"He looked as though he was running away from people when in some domestic games he’s looked out of sorts at times.
"He was absolutely tremendous. Same against Milan last week. He just needs that consistency now and bring that to the domestic game as well.
"He was a real class player and a catalyst for a strong performance."
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