Celtic have appointed former captain Neil Lennon to the club's coaching staff - and he admits he is "overwhelmed" by his Parkhead return.Lennon, now 36, left Celtic Park last summer and has had playing spells at Nottingham Forest and Wycombe this season.

However he returns to Celtic with immediate effect and will be on the bench as a coach for Saturday's SPL game against Motherwell.

Lennon said: "I am overwhelmed at being offered this chance to return to Celtic, a place where everyone knows my heart lies."

The former Northern Ireland international's move into coaching marks the end of his playing career.

Lennon joined Celtic from Leicester in 2000 for £5.5million, joining former Foxes boss Martin O'Neill in Glasgow.

He was appointed captain by Gordon Strachan in 2005, shortly after the Hoops manager took over from O'Neill, and led Celtic to back-to-back championships before leaving for a fresh challenge.

He won five SPL titles, four Scottish Cups, two League Cups and played a key role in Celtic reaching the 2003 UEFA Cup final.

He joins a coaching staff which includes assistant boss Garry Pendrey and Tommy Burns.

Lennon told the club's official website: "Obviously, it was a tremendous honour to play for Celtic and to captain the club. Returning to Celtic and being part of the coaching set-up is simply phenomenal.

"I would like to thank Gordon for this opportunity and I look forward to doing all I can to play my part in achieving further success for the club."

Justifying his decision to turn to coaching, Lennon added: "It was an opportunity I couldn't refuse. Chances like this only come around once in a lifetime and I'm flattered to have been given the role."

Strachan's side trail Rangers by six points in the SPL, and their Old Firm rivals are poised to unseat them as Scottish champions barring a late-season twist in the title race.

Strachan will be hoping Lennon's immense success and appetite for winning with Celtic rubs off on his players, and said: "Neil is someone who I am proud to have worked with previously and is a man who I have great respect for.

"Neil has made a huge contribution to Celtic over a number of years and has been a major part of the club's success in recent times.

"We were disappointed to lose Neil and he is someone who I was very keen to have back at the club.

"With his qualities, Neil will be a very valuable addition to our (coaching) team and we are very much looking forward to working with him."

Lennon made 304 appearances for Celtic, scoring three times before moving to Forest.

He left the City Ground in January to sign for Wycombe, where he played under his former Celtic team-mate, and the man he succeeded as Hoops skipper, Paul Lambert.

More Football News from TEAMtalk