Sources reveal Celtic players suffering from 'psychological damage'

The Celtic squad have had their confidence badly shaken after some difficult and high-profile losses in recent weeks, sources have told Football Insider.

Martin O'Neill's group find themselves in a hole after three consecutive losses, against Ferencvaros in the Europa League and twice against Rangers.

The Bhoys squad already find themselves under huge pressure, with their supporters hugely unsatisfied with the level of performance of late.

Sources have indicated that the recent defeats have dealt a blow of "psychological damage" to the group, who are now facing a huge challenge to turn their form around.

Celtic are now without a game for the next three weeks due to the international break, with O'Neill set to seriously consider his future at the helm.

They then return to action with challenging games against Motherwell, Benfica and Hearts.

Celtic hit by reality check in recent weeks

Celtic had headed into their recent run of games with their 100 per cent record in the Scottish Premiership still intact.

They had responded well to their chastening defeat to LASK in the Champions League play-off round, and racked up four straight league wins to get themselves back on track.

However, they have derailed again just as quickly, and in an extremely damaging fashion.

There is a feeling at Parkhead that the squad have been brought back down to reality, in that winning the league title will not be as easy as they had perhaps expected.

The back-to-back defeats to Rangers have prompted several players to come under fire from the fans, while the manager's position is now in the balance.

Celtic have been the dominant force in Scotland for several years now, but it is clear that they won't have it all their own way this season.

Celtic have already interviewed Robbie Keane for manager's job

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on Tuesday that Robbie Keane is the "most likely" candidate to take over from O'Neill as Celtic manager.

The ex-recruitment man made it clear that the board will want a quick replacement if the 74-year-old departs, rather than looking for a long-term target like last season.

With that in mind, Brown believes that Keane is in pole position, due to the fact that the club already interviewed him in their last managerial hunt.

Brown added that Celtic already know exactly what Keane is about as both a coach and a character, and he is the option that makes the "most sense" for them at the moment.