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Stokes scoring against Aberdeen on the weekend. Lynne Cameron/PA Wire/Press Association Images
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Irish Eye: Who's got Trap's number? Neil Lennon is looking to make a call

Celtic’s boss wants a quick chat about Anthony Stokes, who scored his 19th goal of the season over the weekend.

Scottish Premier League

Anthony Stokes (Aberdeen 1-1 Celtic)

Celtic manager Neil Lennon last week said he would ring Giovanni Trapattoni to remind him of the availability of Anthony Stokes and the striker was again on target over the weekend.

The 23-year-old Dubliner has scored 20 goals or more over the past two seasons and is on course to better that having notched his 19th of the campaign in the Hoops’ 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday.

Lennon’s side hold a 21-point lead at the top of the SPL despite only managing a draw against the Dons and the former Northern Ireland international backed the player to pull on the green jersey again after failing to feature since pulling out of last summer’s Carling Nations Cup squad, claiming he was too tired.

“I see young James McClean was picked from Sunderland and, if Anthony keeps going in the same vein as he is, I will be putting a call into the FAI and saying: ‘Look, I think this kid is worth a look.’ I would be prepared to make that call,” Lennon said on The Guardian website.

“He has played consistently well for a big club, under pressure, every week and he’s played well in European games,” Lennon added.

“It might just be the fact that he didn’t go to that tournament at the end of last season and Trapattoni has been loyal to his players, which I can understand as well.

“He (Stokes) realises he made an error of judgment last May. Regardless of whether Ireland had qualified for the Euros or not, he wants to play for his country.

I’m not going to tell Mr Trapattoni how to do his job. All I’m doing is saying, look, I recommend this player to you and I think he’s worth a look at again.”

“I always love to play for my country and I hope one day in the near future I might do that again,” the player himself is quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph.

Watch Stokes’ goal here:

YouTube credit:

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