FORMER Celtic manager Neil Lennon has paid tribute to 'class act' Walter Smith after the Rangers legend sadly passed away at the age of 73 on Tuesday morning.

Figures from within Scottish football - and all over the world - have been offering their condolences to Smith's family and loved ones in the wake of the news.

Lennon took the reins at Parkhead in 2010 as he made his first steps into management and while the task of competing against someone of Smith's stature as the Old Firm battled for supremacy in the Premiership was a little daunting, he says it is one he relished.

But the 50-year-old reckons he learned a lot from the Ibrox great as he admitted his admiration for Smith - as a manager and as a man - only grew over time.

"My thoughts are with Walter’s wife Ethel, his boys and the rest of the family," he told the Scottish Sun.

"Walter was a great man, first and foremost. He was a class act with how he dealt with people and the respect he showed everyone.

"No one was ever in any doubt how big a Rangers man he was. What he did for the club, his incredible success, will rightly never be forgotten.

"But I always appreciated how well he spoke of Celtic too. He had nothing but respect for the club and its history.

"Of course the rivalry was always there, as it should be. But Walter always spoke well, carried himself brilliantly. He was very dignified."

Celtic Way:

Lennon continued: "I learned a lot from Walter. I knew I was going up against a Rangers legend when I became Celtic manager.

"I relished the challenge but I was just starting out, while Walter had already done so much and earned the status as one of Scottish football’s best ever managers.

"I respected his longevity as a top boss, his success, and more than anything else, his mental strength.

"Walter was a really intelligent football guy. He was always immaculate in his appearance.

"We had seven derbies in that 2010-11 season. It was a titanic year and we got pipped at the post in the league and also lost to Rangers in the League Cup.

"It was still a great learning experience for me and I picked up a lot that season going up against Walter.

"There were also a few moments in the heat of battle when he’d glance across the technical area and give me one of his famous glares, as if to say, 'are you sure?'.

"After derbies we would briefly meet up with our backroom staff. But you hardly got time to really talk. But I’d study Walter and how he went about the job.

"The longer I was Celtic manager the more I understood how good he was under the intense scrutiny and pressure.

"It was only after he left Rangers that I’d meet him at functions and events and get to know him better.

"Just before the lockdown, I sat with him and Graeme Souness for a couple of hours at a charity dinner. I really enjoyed that."