Lennon: ‘wee rascal’ Stokes can make it for Ireland

ALTHOUGH Anthony Stokes has been relegated to a standby position for Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad for next week’s Carling Cup game against Wales, Celtic manager Neil Lennon has backed his in-form striker to make it as an Irish international.

“Eventually, yeah,” says Lennon. “He’s only 22. He’s got a lot more to his game than people realise and as he gets older he’ll incorporate all these things into his game. And you’ll have a very good player on your hands.

“At this stage, he could probably work a little bit on his link-up play. There’s times when his game appreciation can be better. But you get that with young players. He’s a very instinctive player. He’s a great lad and he’s maturing all the time. But I think at times he could get hold of the ball a little bit better. But that’s nit-picking. You look at his goal ratio at the moment, and it’s fantastic – he’s got 17 this season.”