AS Neil Lennon begins a new chapter in his career, a familiar face from his past could be sitting in the opposite dugout.

Alan Thompson, the former Wanderers midfielder who worked as Lennon’s assistant at Celtic for two years, is now in charge of the development squad at tomorrow’s opponents Birmingham City.

Thompson’s time at Parkhead ended acrimoniously after he was sacked in June 2012, a situation that ended up becoming a legal matter between the coach and the club. The two parties later reached an “amicable settlement.”

The 40-year-old returned to football in the summer at St Andrew’s and will be part of Lee Clark’s entourage against his former club.

Thompson made nearly 200 appearances for Bolton before a £4.5million move to Aston Villa.

He later enjoyed a highly-successful spell at Celtic as a player, where he won his one-and-only England cap, claiming four league titles and six Scottish Cups in a six-and-a-half year playing career north of the border.