The last time an O’Neill was in charge at Celtic, the Hoops won the league three times in four years, claimed the Scottish cup three times in five years, earned a league cup and reached the UEFA Cup final.
Martin O’Neill will go down as a legend at Celtic Park but it is a different O’Neill who is being tipped to become next Celtic manager.
The Belfast Telegraph report that Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill is one of the Glasgow club’s top candidates to replace Ronny Deila, who has failed to win over the fans since taking the job in 2014.
Deila won a league and league cup double in his first season in charge but has come under increased pressure after struggling to widen the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership and being sent crashing out of this season’s league cup to lowly Ross County at the weekend.
The Belfast Telegraph are confident that Deila will remain in place until the end of the season as Celtic are still in pole position to claim the league for the fifth consecutive year and there is no need to rock the boat by sacking a manager.
But the likelihood of seeing the Norwegian in the dugout next season is not high and O’Neill is being considered as his successor.
A source close to the club told the newspaper: “Michael is highly regarded in Scotland and would be in the frame if the job became available.”
Former players Roy Keane and David Moyes are also in the running for the job but it’s understood that the Celtic board have been charmed by O’Neill’s stellar job with Northern Ireland.
O’Neill secured Northern Ireland their first qualification for a European championship and carried them up to 30th in the Fifa world rankings, their highest ever position.
And if he guides them to the knockout stages in France, who knows? It could be Barcelona knocking on his door, rather than Celtic.
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