Nakamura: Thank God Lenny Is Back To Mess With My Head!

May 4 2008 By Gordon Waddell

SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA last night admitted Celtic needed Neil Lennon back in their dressing-room because they've not had a leader since he left.

The Hoops hero was pulled back to Paradise lastmonth by manager Gordon Strachan to join the coaching staff.

Now Naka insists his presence has had an inspirational impact on the team - and on him personally.

He revealed having his head shaken by the one-time skipper just minutes before the first Old Firm game in their recent double header was enough to bring out the hero in him.

And he has seen enough to believe his pal will be there to boss Celts in the future.

The Japanese ace said: "Having Lennon back makes me happy.

"He's a clever guy. He picks up even the smallest things, especially in the midfield. And if he's there, everyone's enthusiasm goes up a notch.

"We've never had a player like him since he left, a leader.

"And even though he's a coach now we needed someone like him. He gives a big boost to the team.

"It's not just Lenny's passion for Celtic - it's his passion for football.

"He's always at me with advice before games. Before the Motherwell match, when the pitch was so bad, he told me set-pieces would play a huge part in the game and to really concentrate on them.

"And he grabbedmein the dressing-room before the first of the two recent Old Firm games at Celtic Park.

"Neil shook me by the shoulders, even by the head, and told me 'This is your day. You're a hero.We need you'.

"Celtic had probably missed that kind of thing since he left.

"I'd never really thought about it before but I can see Lenny being a manager here in the future."

Nakamura now looks certain to be staying at Parkhead for at least another season after Celtic invoked an option in his contract to keep him for a fourth year. And the midfield star insists he couldn't be happier - because he feels he owes the club and their fans after a stop-start season.

He said: "I was injured for a few months and feel my combination with other players isn't as good as in previous years.

"So I feel I have more things to do here before I'm finished.

"And of course it's a great honour the club wants me to stay instead of telling me to go.

"After that? You just never know what's going to happen.

"I didn't even think I was coming to Celtic in the first place three years ago - I had options in Spain - but as long as I can improve here I'll stay."

And Nakamura, 2007's player of the year, reckons there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Naka missed more than 20 games this season with a knee injury and is itching to make up for that.

He feels the whole team has more to give if Strachan can keep the heart of it together over the summer.

And nothing would benefit Shunsuke more than seeing the same face behind him on the right flank at full-back week in, week out.

Strachan has fielded a total of seven different players at right-back since August - Jo Doumbe, Mark Wilson, Andreas Hinkel, Paul Caddis, Darren O'Dea, Paul Hartley and Gary Caldwell And Naka warned: "From the first year to the second year that I was here we didn't have too many changes in the team.

"But last summer there were a lot - and that doesn't help us. "At the start of the season my combination with Scott McDonald wasn't that good.

"However, it has definitely improved as the season has gone on.

"Also because we had problems at right-back throughout the campaign, with different players behind me, I found it hard to adapt.

"But if we have the same team next year I know we can be much better."