Martin O’Neill says he would happily have stayed on as Celtic manager after his short interim spell, which saw the team win seven of eight games.
The former Northern Ireland player took over after Brendan Rodgers resigned in late October. Celtic later appointed Wilfried Nancy as permanent boss, but he has lost all three games since taking charge.
O’Neill described his near six-week return to the club as simply “holding the fort for a while”. He said leading Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final was never a major goal and that he would only have stayed longer if the club had asked him.
Speaking on Talksport, the 73-year-old said once Celtic told him his time was up, he accepted it without any issue. He also revealed he had only a brief conversation with Nancy during the handover.
Despite Nancy’s difficult start — including losses to Hearts, Roma, and St Mirren — O’Neill urged patience. He stressed that managers need time, saying it is impossible to judge anyone after just three games. O’Neill believes Celtic have quality players, experienced leaders in the squad, and that the situation is recoverable if results improve.
