 Paddy McCourt has been assured by Neil Lennon that he has a major role to play in the coming weeks and months. McCourt has not been in the string line up since scoring a superb solo winner at Inverness on the opening day of the season. A neck injury sustained celebrating that goal saw McCourt fall out of the team, although he has come on as a substitute in Celtic's three other SPL wins. The Northern Ireland winger made the most of his opportunity on Saturday as he scored another brilliant individual effort in the 3-0 win over Hearts. McCourt, who signed a new three-year contract in the summer, admitted after the match he felt he had to produce something special every time he plays given the competition for places and the expectation of the fans. However, But Lennon fully intends to utilise the former Rochdale and Derry City player's talents. Ahead of Sunday's game against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, Lennon said: "It was a wonderful goal and I enjoyed Paddy's performance. He is going to play a part this season, no doubt about it. The more he trains on a regular basis, the less we need to worry about his injury problems. He is in a good place at the moment. He is ready to play and will play a big part in the next few weeks." One of the creative players blocking McCourt's way to a starting spot is Shaun Maloney, who has also scored two goals in the league so far. But Maloney has often been deployed in a central role and that is exactly how Lennon sees him playing during the campaign. Lennon went on: "He is emerging, and I know it's early in the season, as a big player for us. I have been a big fan of Shaun for a long, long time. I've known him since he emerged as a 17-year-old when I was playing in the 2000-2001 season. He is not only a great footballer but also very intelligent and has a great football brain. He has something different from the rest, he has a great appreciation of the game and the touch and pace to get away from people. I was delighted with his goal (against Hearts). He can be more clinical but he is getting into those positions, which he wasn't doing before. Once he gets a few more goals under his belt, his season will really take off." |