Neil Lennon has said that he does not subscribe to the theory that Celtic and Rangers need each other to be strong in order to thrive.

Celtic currently lead the Scottish Premier League by a point form their traditional rivals, also holding a game in hand, and are currently aiming to land three domestic trophies this season.

The club’s manager said that their current position was down to hard work from within and was not reliant on strong opposition.

With Rangers working to financial restraints and awaiting the outcome of a potentially damaging tax tribunal, Lennon said that it would not worry him if his biggest rival was weakened.

"I'm not in the camp who believe the SPL, or Celtic, need a strong Rangers,” Lennon told Sky Sports. "I'd be quite happy if we were a lot stronger than Rangers.

"A lot of people think Celtic and Rangers need each other, well at the minute we don't.

"We're in a strong position financially with good young players coming through. But we've had to work hard and be patient for that.

"We are talking hypothetically as we don't know what the outcome is going to be.

"But the people who suffer the most as always are the supporters and I have a lot of sympathy for the Rangers fans with the situation being the way it is at the moment."