Hibs assistant Garry Parker plays down Neil Lennon quit threat

Garry Parker has said he expects Neil Lennon to be at Hibs next season, despite his comments that he would be considering his position over the summer.

Hibs assistant boss Garry Parker sought to play down Lennon's comments. Picture: SNS Group

Lennon wasn’t present at training on Friday morning, and his subsequent no-show at a planned press conference added to the uncertainty over the Northern Irishman’s future at Easter Road.

However, Parker explained that Lennon’s absence from the club’s East Mains training centre was due to illness.

“He’s okay,” Parker told journalists this afternoon. “He’s had the flu for the last couple of weeks, and he’s at home in Glasgow. He’s overslept, his wife woke him up and he’s gone back to sleep, which is in fact a true story.

• READ MORE - Hibs boss Neil Lennon misses training and scheduled press conference

“He’ll be coming in at some point.”

Parker also played down Lennon’s comments in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat to Hearts on Wednesday night, suggesting that the strong reaction was down to the disappointment of losing the derby.

“It was the heat of the moment. You know what he is like,” Parker said.

“He is a winner. After a game where things don’t go his way, he just lets it all go. He doesn’t like getting beat at anything. Cards, anything and he loses it. He just says a few things.”

When asked if he was expecting Lennon to be in post next season, Parker replied: “I would think so, yes. Why not? It was just heat of the moment stuff.”