Martin O’Neill may reportedly have taken charge of his last game as Celtic’s interim manager, according to a significant new update that has emerged.
O’Neill is such a popular figure at Parkhead, with the 73-year-old bringing positivity back to the club after a frustrating end to Brendan Rodgers’ time in charge.
The Northern Irishman has addressed his future at Celtic in recent days, still pinching himself at making a return, but admitting he doesn’t know what the next step is.
“I have to go back down to London again, I’m going to go into a darkened room and come out on Thursday and think ‘has this really happened?’ So I should imagine at some stage or another during the course of the next week, whether it be tomorrow, whether it be Saturday or Sunday of next week, that somebody will let me know what’s happening.
“No, I genuinely don’t know. But if they make an announcement in, let’s say, in the next week or something about a new manager, I will take this fortnight and I was nearly going to say rather morbidly, to my grave, but hang about. Well you never know, but it’s been fantastic.”
O’Neill will ultimately know that he isn’t the long-term answer for Celtic, with his appointment only a short-term fix, and now a new update has emerged regarding his future.
O'Neill may be replaced at Celtic during international break
According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, O’Neill’s spell in charge of Celtic could reach its conclusion during the current international break.
A new “development” took place last weekend, with Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy now one of the leading contenders to come in at Parkhead alongside Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen. It is stated that top target Nancy is now “available” and ready to join the Hoops straight away after his current club were knocked out of the MLS playoffs.
As mentioned, O’Neill won’t be expecting to get the Celtic job permanently, despite some good results in charge, but if he has managed his last game for the club, he will depart as popular as ever.
Shock Celtic manager frontrunner receives backing from Parkhead higher-up
The Bhoys may well now have found their preferred choice to succeed Martin O’Neill.
BySean Markus Clifford
Ultimately, the Hoops have to make the right appointment to take the club in the right direction, and if they feel they have found the correct choice during the international break, an immediate change is needed.
Wilfried Nancy’s managerial record
Columbus Crew – MLS Cup winners (2023), Leagues Cup winners (2024)
Matches – 132 Wins – 71 Draws – 32 Losses – 33
CF Montreal – Canadian Championship winners (2021)
Matches – 79 Wins – 38 Draws – 16 Losses – 25
Nancy looks to be an interesting option currently, having won 109 out of 209 matches in management in North America, but the one main risk is that he hasn’t proven himself in Europe, unlike Knutsen with Bodo/Glimt.
Approach imminent: Manager with 209 wins to 70 losses excited by Celtic