Victor Wanyama has told Sky Sports that “could not resist” the opportunity to join his former Celtic Neil Lennon manager in Dunfermline.
The 33-year-old has signed for the championship team until the end of the season after Lennon took over East End Park last week as he offers to remove the club away from the removal.
Wanyama played under Lennon in Parkhead where he won successive league titles, Plus impressed in Europe – scoring in a famous Champions League victory over Barcelona.
Its form resulted in a transfer to Southampton for a Scottish record fee of about £ 12.5m, and international Kenyan continued to play for Tottenham for four years before a transfer to Montreal.
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Relive Wanyama spectacular purpose for Tottenham again in 2018 against Liverpool
He left the Canadian club in January and, after passing a doctor on Wednesday, has returned to Scottish football for the first time since 2012.
“I got the call from Neil Lennon and the way he wanted me to go down and help, I couldn’t resist,” Wanyama told Sky Sports News.
“I also spoke to the owner, he is very ambitious and decided to get down and have this challenge.
“He (Neil Lennon) is a bit a serious guy outside and he has always been there for me, you know, trying to help me out of football.
“After receiving that call, I knew he was serious, I couldn’t resist them because he is someone who has played a big role in my career as well.
“He taught me how to be a professional player, also out of the field, while also inside, shaping me to be the player I am today.”
Depending on international cleaning, Wanyama will make his debut Saturday against Ayr United, managed by his former Hoops Scott Brown.
Wanyama’s first match in Dunfermline may be against his former Celtic Scott Brown
“Scott is a great guy, and he is also doing well as a manager, so I can hardly wait to go and face his team too. It will be fine. A little like a tale, but I barely wait for him,” he added.
“Scott was an example. He was an example to everyone, also for me. He was a leader and he led in a good way, and I’m always proud of him.
“I respected him. He has shown us the way, all of us. I think he does not get the respect he deserves, but I keep it up as a player and also as a manager now.”
Dunfermline are at the double bottom of the table-six pure points from automatic removal, but two points behind Hamilton Accies as they offer moving from the seven-matched play-off play-off site.
Lennon excited by Dunfermline Challenge
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Lennon explains why he assumed responsibility on the Dunfermline championship side
Lennon says he was forced to get Dunfermline work after long talks with the owner and chairman of the Championship Club.
The former chief of Celtic and Hibernian, who was recently in Dugout last year in the Romanian Rapid Bucuresti squad, took responsibility in East End Park until the end of the season.
He is the third permanent manager of Dunfermline this mandate, with James McPake dismissed in December and Michael Tidser rejected earlier this month after only 60 days at work.
While the 53-year-old knows that he faces a real challenge to keep them at the second level of Scottish football, he insists it was an opportunity that he could not fall.
Lennon has signed a short -term starting deal by the end of this season in Dunfermline (Credit: Craig Brown/Dafc)
“Last week, we had a lot of conversations between ourselves, the mayor and the owner. They made a very convincing argument to get the job,” he said.
“There is an old advertisement from Sir Alex (Ferguson) where you sometimes choose the owners than to choose the club.
“So I think we have a good here. Further down the line, he has really good aspirations for the future of the club.
“I wanted to line up with that.
“We have a lot of work to do, which will not happen right away, but I have had a good response from players over the past two days. I am satisfied with their attitude and application.
“Great is good to go back to football. I know how competitive and attractive the championship can be.
“I know we are not in the best shape in the minute, so this is a challenge for myself to turn the club’s psychology and the surrounding dressing room.”
Final matches of Dunfermline League
- March 29: AYR United (a)
- April 2: Livingston (h)
- April 5: Academic Hamilton (H)
- April 12: Queen’s Park (a)
- April 19: Partick Thistle (h)
- April 26: Airdrieonians (h)
- May 2: Morton (a)
