NEIL LENNON, the Hibernian head coach, has labelled Celtic captain Scott Brown “presumptuous” for lavishing praise on John McGinn and positing that the combative midfielder would thrive at Parkhead.

Brown was candid when asked about the club’s ongoing pursuit of McGinn – a close friend and erstwhile international team-mate – as he lauded the 23-year-old as a “top-quality player” possessing “pretty much everything you need”.

Brown also hinted that McGinn could be his long-term successor at Celtic and joked about sending text messages urging him to make the move west. 

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Despite retaining a positive relationship dating back to their trophy-laden time together at Celtic, Lennon admits he would have preferred Brown to have kept his powder dry until any potential deal is done. 

Hibs have rejected two bids for McGinn, with the most recent coming in at £1.75m, and the capital club continue to hold out for closer to £4m. 

“I think it’s a bit presumptuous from Scott,” said Lennon. “I’m aware that John [McGinn] is admired by a lot of people in the Scottish game, but it’s a bit early from that sort of talk. 

“I would prefer it if - regardless of what club John may go to - the players at that club wait until he actually arrives. Then they can talk about him as much as they want. 

“I think managers talking about players at other clubs is definitely breaking a code, but perhaps Scott was just asked a question and gave an honest answer. 

“However, we as a club would prefer it if a deal was concluded before players talk like that.” 

Reflecting on reports that McGinn had informed the Hibs hierarchy that Celtic was his preferred option, Lennon added: “You would need to ask John - judging by his background, it would be hard to argue against that

“However, there is still a long way to go before anything is finalised. There are other suitors out there, albeit they haven’t come in with concrete bids yet.”