Neil Lennon believes the new deal signed by “iconic” Tom Rogic shows that Celtic mean business as the Parkhead club look to make Scottish football history tomorrow.

The 25-year-old Australian internationalist was signed by Lennon in 2013 and has become a firm favourite with the Celtic support who were itching to see the midfielder commit his future to the club.

They got what they wanted yesterday afternoon as Rogic agreed a five-year contract to dismiss the speculation around him. The suspicion had been that the playmaker would wait until after next month’s World Cup to see what options were available to him but getting him signed now puts down a marker for Celtic, according to Lennon.

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“It is a tremendous bit of business,” he said. “He has become one of the real iconic figures at the club.

“When he first arrived he needed to do a wee bit of work physically but I think you could always see that the talent was there. I am delighted for him because I know how hard he has worked at it.

“I think it was obvious that he was a talented player when he came in but you wold have to give great credit to Brendan Rodgers for the way that he has kicked on in the last two seasons. He has become one of the real big players at the club that you can rely upon to go and make things happen.

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“I think the length of the contract just shows you where Celtic are at the minute. They want their best players at the club and it really sends out a message how much they value him.”

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And Lennon has also lauded the character of Rogic as he has moved from being a fringe player at the club to one who has become one of the go-to men.

“People forget that Tom missed the penalty against Rangers a few years ago at Hampden when Celtic were put out of the Scottish Cup. To be able to pick yourself up and get over that and go again shows great character and he has got that.

“He is a special player, a really special talent.

“I played with a lot of top players in my time at Celtic and I would say that he deserves to be right up there. He just has that quality to make something out of nothing and like all the really great players he makes the game look easy.

“He is a big guy but he has the most nimble feet. He also has the temperament for the big games. Some of the things he can do with the ball at his feet are unbelievable.

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“But he has been willing to work at it. When he first came it took a long time for him to get up to speed physically. The game was fast and he needed to adapt to that and he needed to beef up a bit.

“He’s done all that and more.

“I’m not sure we envisaged when he first arrived just how big an impact he would have but the sheer talent and quick feet he had were there to see. I’m delighted for Tom that he is where he is and it shows you that Celtic still have that pulling power."

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Celtic will head to Hampden buoyed by the news that the talisman in the squad has committed his future to the club, something that will give everyone a boost according to Lennon.

"It will give the fans the biggest boost of all," he said. "It will have been in the offing for a while but it says a lot to announce it just before the final. The players will be delighted but their full focus will be on Hampden.

"The biggest kick will be to the guys heading to watch the game tomorrow. They'll be thrilled because he has, rightly, become a real hero at Celtic."