Scott Brown has been an integral part of every success that Neil Lennon enjoyed in both of his spells as Celtic manager, and the captain knows how much the Irishman will be hurting after resigning his position today (Wednesday).

It was Neil Lennon who maintained Brown’s position as captain when he first took over as Hoops boss back in 2010, with the team going on to win three league titles and two Scottish Cups before he stepped down as managed in 2014.

Returning to the club midway through the 2018/19 season following the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City, Neil Lennon was reunited with Scott Brown, and helped bring further success to the club in the shape of two more domestic trebles and securing nine league titles in a row.

And the Celtic captain will always appreciate that success and the part Neil Lennon has played in his career.

Speaking to the official Celtic website, Scott Brown said: “It’s been a difficult season in a lot of ways, so you’ve got to feel sorry for the manager. We’ve got to take responsibility. It’s a sad day to see him leave but it’s because we’ve not been playing as well as we can on the park.

“Even after he left Celtic as manager the first time, we kept in contact all the way through, and it was great to see him come back.

'He was fantastic for me the first time around. He kept me on as captain, he gave me a lot of confidence. The second time he came in, I was a little bit older, and he continued to play me.'

“It’s obviously a hard decision for him as well to leave the club that he loves and that he wants to do well. He always wanted Celtic to win week in, week out, whether he was manager or not.”

This season, unprecedented in so many ways, with the campaign unfolding behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, has not panned out the way anyone connected with Celtic would have wanted.

There were some highlights – most notably the Scottish Cup triumph over Hearts at Hampden in December which secured the Quadruple Treble. But there was also an exit from the League Cup at the hands of Ross County and an inconsistency in the league campaign, which sees the team currently 18 points behind in the league with eight games remaining.

“It’s not been a great season to go down in our history books, but it’s one that we’ve got to take on the chin," said the Hoops skipper.

"We’ve got to start performing as well as we can for the remainder of the season. We keep saying that, but we need to try and get it done. We need to get back to winning ways, bring back the fans and bring back the pride in Celtic as well.

“Neil won another treble for us – he won the Quadruple Treble, which we picked up against Hearts, and he’s got great passion for the club.

“He’s supported Celtic his whole life and he wanted to play for this club – he won a treble as a player, as well as a manager. He’s given 15-20 years to this club and he deserves respect, and also praise for what he’s done for the club and the success he brought us.

“I probably wouldn’t still be captain at Celtic if it wasn’t for Neil Lennon. He kept me on after Tony Mowbray left, and he was a breath of fresh air when he came in. He was great with the lads, and we were fighting for him because we wanted him to get the job, and eventually he did get it.

'He was the one who started the nine-in-a-row, and he was the one who got us the nine as well.'

While the news of Neil Lennon’s resignation was being processed by the players, with John Kennedy stepping into the role of interim manager, preparations are also continuing ahead of this weekend’s game at Celtic Park against Aberdeen.

“One good thing about football is that there’s always another game around the corner,” Scott Brown said. “We need to get better, get back to winning ways and start making Celtic Park a fortress again.

“We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, and concentrate on Saturday’s game against Aberdeen. John’s done well over the years with the manager, with Brendan and with Ronny as well, and while I know it’s not the circumstances he would have wanted, he’ll take it in his stride.”

Scott Brown: Neil Lennon has been a key figure in my Celtic career