Neil Lennon says he’ll consider his future as Hibs manager after derby defeat to Hearts

NEIL LENNON hinted at frustrations over Hibernian’s recruitment plans after his stunning claim that he could quit the club in the summer.

The Hibs head coach revealed he would consider his position in the wake of Wednesday’s 2-1 Edinburgh derby defeat by Hearts, which saw the Leith side miss out on a chance to claim second place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Lennon branded players “amateur” after several had problems with their footwear, and hit out at his team for conceding Steven Naismith’s winner from a set-piece.

The defeat means Hibs will finish fourth unless they beat Rangers by six goals on Sunday, and they would miss out on Europe if Motherwell shock Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup final.

The former Celtic and Bolton boss admitted he might have been “over-emotional” in his response but his threat to leave Hibs appeared real.

“It’s not based on this result,” he said. “I consider my position every year, whether I’m at Celtic, Bolton or Hibs.

“I have got some re-evaluation to do for my own personal thoughts or aims.”

The 46-year-old signed an extended contract in September which ties him to Easter Road until 2020 but revealed serious doubts about his future.

“Do I want to do it? I’ve got to think about that,” he said.

“It will come down to a lot. The squad is going to be different and we have a lot of work to do obviously.

“So I have got those things to think about, but we are not moving in the right way at the minute. That may change.

“But I’m just not happy with tonight. Maybe it’s a rash thing to say but I do it every year. Every summer I think: ‘Is this the right thing to do for next season?’ We’ll discuss it.”

A board meeting next week looks set to hold the key to Lennon’s future as he gets set to lose most of his attacking players.

Loan spells for Brandon Barker, Scott Allan, Florian Kamberi and Jamie Maclaren expire in the summer, as does midfielder Dylan McGeouch’s contract, while prized asset John McGinn is entering the final year of his contract.

On his talks with the board, Lennon said: “I don’t know what they want. They haven’t had targets set for next season, I don’t know what the budget is for next season. I don’t know what the budget is for this season to tell you the truth.

“We have a few loan players in, McGeouch is going to leave. So we have a bit of surgery to do.”