Boyhood Celtic fan reveals why he snubbed Parkhead move to join Rangers

The Glasgow-born attacker grew up supporting the Hoops but ultimately opted for a switch to Ibrox, despite Celtic expressing an interest in securing his services.

Templeton had established himself as one of Hearts’ standout performers, attracting attention following impressive displays against Liverpool in Europe.

However, with the Tynecastle club facing serious financial difficulties, the winger was encouraged to accept an offer from Rangers, who were playing in Scotland’s fourth tier at the time.

Speaking on the STV Radio Football Podcast, Templeton revealed that Lennon made a late attempt to bring him to Celtic Park.

“It came about on the last day of the August window.

“I was at Murray Park until about two in the morning trying to get it all sorted.

“What made it even weirder is that when I was sat outside, my agent got a phonecall from Neil Lennon about potentially wanting to go there.

“The full thing was bizarre. I think I’m allowed to speak about it? I’m not sure.

“They phoned and said they wanted me to wait out my contract then go to Celtic in the summer.

“I said ‘but what if I break my leg tomorrow? You wouldn’t sign me.’ So we had this discussion and it ended up that I went to Rangers.

“I was also told by Hearts that if I didn’t sign for Rangers, I wouldn’t play for them again as they really needed the money. I was in a position where if I didn’t sign for Rangers I’d go back to Hearts and potentially not play, maybe other people don’t get paid because they were struggling financially.

“Of course, I was tempted Celtic were in Champions League at the time and they were in the top flight, Rangers had just went down.

“It was something that you did think about but I’d have had to stay at Hearts until the end of the season and Hearts were going through a difficult time.

“Obviously with Rangers, I went in and saw the facilities, the club and spoke to the manager and I knew how much I was wanted. It was a no-brainer.”