91Èȱ¬

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has resigned with his side 18 points behind Glasgow rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

Lennon took charge of Celtic for a second spell in February 2019, winning two premierships titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup.

But after a frustrating season so far, Lennon has decided to call it a day.

"I have worked as hard as ever to try and turn things around, but unfortunately we have not managed to get the kind of run going that we have needed," he said.

On Wednesday the club announced on its website that the "club legend" was to leave with immediate effect.

In a statement Celtic said: "We thank Neil sincerely for all he has done for the club and we wish him every success going forward."

The club said he had "served the club with distinction as both player and manager", with chief executive Peter Lawwell adding he "has always been and will always be a true Celtic man."

This past year has been a difficult and frustrating one for clubs and their supporters due to the pandemic, with lots of disruption to fixtures and games being called off.

Despite this Celtic had a successful season last year, finishing well ahead of rivals Rangers in the league as well as beating them in the League Cup.

But this year the club have struggled to build a successful title challenge and Rangers have pulled away spectacularly in the Scottish Premiership, ultimately ending Celtic's hopes of winning 10-straight titles.

Rangers have yet to lose a game this season whilst Celtic have lost both Old-Firm derbies and dropped points in matches they usually would be expected to win.

Add to that Celtic's 1-0 loss to Ross County on Sunday, who were bottom of the table going into that fixture, and Neil Lennon's fate as Celtic boss was sealed.

"We have experienced a difficult season due to so many factors and, of course, it is very frustrating and disappointing that we have not been able to hit the same heights as we did previously," Lennon said in a statement on the club website.

"I have always given my best to the club and have been proud to deliver silverware to the Celtic supporters. The club will always be part of me. I will always be a Celtic supporter myself and I will always want the best for Celtic."