‘Quite frankly’ – Matt Le Tissier drops verdict on Martin O’Neill’s future at Celtic
Martin O’Neill will be happy to step aside when the time comes for him to relinquish his interim role in charge of Celtic.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that the 73-year-old will not want the job full-time amid rumours of an imminent permanent appointment at Parkhead.
Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager last month due to irreparable differences with the board, and a number of names have been linked to the job while Martin O’Neill takes temporary charge.
The 73-year-old has taken the reins with Shaun Maloney in an assistant role, and the pair have done a superb job so far with comprehensive wins against Falkirk, Rangers and Kilmarnock and a loss to European high-flyers Midtjylland.
Football Insider recently revealed that O’Neill would be open to staying as Celtic boss until the end of the season after such a strong start to his interim tenure.
Wilfried Nancy is believed to be closing in on being appointed as the new Hoops boss, however, and the veteran manager could soon be out of the door at Parkhead.
O’Neill could stay on longer at Celtic but Nancy is in the frame
Celtic edged closer to handing O’Neill the reins until the end of the season, according to Football Insider’s sources, following their dramatic added-time win over Rangers on Sunday (2 November).
His stellar first spell in charge of the club between 2000 and 2005 means he remains a popular figure among the Parkhead fanbase, but calls for him to be given more time in charge will have lessened after a tough Europa League defeat to Midtjylland.
Celtic confirmed that O’Neill is still set to remain in charge of the club on Monday (17 November) as links to Nancy continue to increase, so it seems like the 73-year-old is set to be given more of a chance to prove himself for now.
Le Tissier thinks O’Neill does not want the permanent Celtic job and is happy to leave whenever possible
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier insisted that O’Neill will not be concerned about how long he stays in charge of Celtic and will simply want to see out his interim tenure in successful fashion.
He said: “I don’t think Martin is at the age where he’s too worried about it, quite frankly. I think he seems to me quite happy and relaxed in his semi-retirement, so to speak.
“I heard him on talkSPORT. He speaks a lot of sense about the game. But I think he’s in his early 70s now.
“Does he really want to have that full-time role again? So I’m not sure Martin’s too bothered about it.”