THE dramatic injury-time winner which Olivier Ntcham netted against Lazio in Rome three weeks ago brought joy to thousands of Celtic fans across the world and ensured the Parkhead club will progress to the Europa League knockout rounds for the third year running.

At the same time, it put the smile back on the face of Ntcham, a player who had appeared unsettled at Parkhead at the start his season and even on the verge of departing, and reduced the likelihood he will be going anywhere any time soon.

The midfielder angered Celtic fans back in July when he was quoted in the French sports newspaper L’Equipe saying he had been disappointed that interest from Porto last season had amounted to nothing and admitting he was flattered by links with Marseille.

Yet, Neil Lennon, who is set to start the 23-year-old in the Group E match against Rennes this evening, believes his late strike on that historic night in Italy have dramatically altered his mindset.

“The goal in Rome may just have changed his whole outlook on things,” he said. “He is happy to be a part of it.

“I saw a difference in him even before Rome. We had a chat about his comments earlier in the season, whether they were misconstrued, there may have been some truth in them.

“But he has really settled down now and he is training very well. He has played brilliantly in the games he has played. He’s been unfortunate not to play more often, that’s just down to the quality of the rest.

“The way he is seeing things now, he might feel ‘why shouldn’t I stay here?’. Because things are going well. We’ve beaten Lazio away from home and he played a huge part in that. Maybe that makes him think the grass isn’t always greener and he can fulfil a lot of things at Celtic for whatever length of time he is here.”

Lennon is a huge admirer of Ntcham and feels the player has, even though he struggles to get a start ahead of captain Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, much to offer Celtic, who are facing a hectic schedule in the coming weeks, both at home and abroad going forward.

Lennon continued: “He is some player, really high calibre in his manipulation of the ball. We are seeing more consistency from him now, when previously he was more up and down. Certainly, on the ball he has fantastic technique and he works hard at that. Going the other way defensively, he is improving that aspect as well.

“He and (Odsonne) Edouard have a really good understanding on the pitch and they are quite close away from the club as well. They are two very creative, penetrating players. I think they like playing in the same team.

“I think he sees that he has to work harder at times. I think he’s doing that a lot better now. There’s more diligence in his defensive play. He’s a strong boy. Physically, he’s a specimen.”

Ntcham will have a definite point to prove against Rennes this evening and Lennon is confident all of his Celtic team mates will match his performance level even though they are guaranteed their place in the last 32.

The Northern Irishman, who also has Mikey Johnston available once again, feels the chance to top their section, something they have never managed previously, will be enough of an incentive for his charges.

“You try and add pressure to it,” he said. “Try and win the game first of all and keep your momentum going. Because if you lose the game, it can affect you a little bit psychologically.

"I’d like to finish the group with a 100 per cent home record. So we will try and reinforce that to the players before kick-off on Thursday night.

“Our home form is important, whether it be domestically or in Europe. I don’t think there will be any coming off it from the players. We will definitely try to instil the edge in them and play at the tempo we want to play at. I will try and put out the strongest team possible.

“Slowly and surely there are steps in the right direction. You could see what it meant to everyone with the win in Rome. The fans and the players got a real taste for it. We want to create more of that as we go along.

"We’re in a really good position and we want to keep the momentum going and the momentum high and we want to finish with a 100 per cent home record.”

Lennon admitted he was unsure how seriously his opposite number Julien Stephan, whose team are bottom of Group E with just one point from four games and unable to reach the knockout rounds, will treat the fixture.

“The danger with Rennes is how they approach the game,” he said. “Do they come with a freedom? He (Stephan) changes his team a lot and has done so over the last five or six games. What they have got is good pace in their team, they are very good on the counter attack. We have to prepare for that.”

“At the start of the season they were fine. We were really wary of them going into the first game. They had beaten PSG and had a couple of good results. They came off it a bit and have been a bit inconsistent, but what their mindset is coming into this game, I just don’t know. We’re prepared for them to come and have a go and play with freedom.”