Lennon - I played through pain

Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon has been playing through the pain barrier since St Stephen's Day, which has left him feeling ‘‘like an old man’’.

The Northern Ireland international has been troubled by a knee problem for some time, but he bandaged himself up for one last time on Saturday for the Tennent’s Scottish Cup final.

But that gamble did not pay off as Rangers won 3-2 at Hampden Park and he will go under the surgeon’s knife on Wednesday to finally cure the problem in time for the start of next season.

Lennon explained: ‘‘My knee began to fill up with fluid after we played Livingston [on St Stephen's Day]".

‘‘It restricted my movement and I couldn’t bend it fully. I couldn’t even train from Monday to Wednesday so basically, since February, I’ve trained Thursday and Friday and that’s it.

‘‘I can get through games, but there is a lot of discomfort afterwards and during the week. I felt like an old man.

‘‘I didn’t go for an operation sooner because I would have been recuperating for six to eight weeks.

‘‘I would have missed the championship run-in and cup run, so I was able to nurse through it the best I could.

‘‘I’ve now got eight weeks’ rehabilitation during the summer and hopefully I’ll be back for the start of the season.

‘‘If not, it will be a couple of weeks into it when hopefully I’ll get back to full fitness.

‘‘I’ll be away for a week in Spain and America so I’ll get a bit of sun, but I needed to get the operation done.

‘‘It has to be done and my mind was set on it months ago, so I’ll just have to get on with it.’’

Lennon has described Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat as ‘‘one of the biggest disappointments’’ since moving to Glasgow - but insists it is not the end of the world.

Danish winger Peter Lovenkrands’ last-minute header took the Scottish Cup to Ibrox to bring back bad memories for Lennon of the defeat suffered by his former team Leicester against Tottenham in the Worthington Cup in 1999.

But the midfielder admits that winning the title and being in next season’s Champions League should more than make up for the anguish he and the supporters are feeling.

‘‘It’s not sunk in yet,’’ added Lennon. ‘‘This is the second cup final I’ve lost in the last minute and it does not get any better.

‘‘They scored so late that there was nothing we could do about it.

‘‘This is one of the biggest disappointments since coming up here, as was going out of the Champions League, but this is a one-off occasion and it’s happened now.

‘‘When I wake up we’ll still be champions and be in the Champions League next year, so it’s not the end of the world and that’s what fans should remember.’’