Celtic's Martin O'Neill: No Pressure on Return to Dugout
Shaun Maloney insists there is no pressure, no deadline and no gentle nudging of a legend. When Martin O'Neill feels ready, he will walk back into the Celtic dugout. Until then, the club waits.
The 74-year-old, who underwent what has been described as a “small procedure” in hospital, was discharged on Thursday. His assistant visited that evening and left encouraged.
“I went to see him last night,” Maloney said. “It was really positive. He was in good form - loads better than he was Monday, Tuesday. Hopefully that sort of positive feeling he has continues.”
For all the optimism, there is still no guarantee O'Neill will be at Rugby Park on Sunday for the trip to Kilmarnock. There is, as Maloney put it, “no timeline”. The decision rests entirely with the man who transformed Celtic’s season last term and was rewarded with a one-year contract in the summer.
O'Neill was in the dugout on Monday as Celtic opened their Scottish Premiership campaign with a 1-0 win over Dundee. It felt like business as usual. This week has not.
“Even for the game at the weekend, it's sort of day-to-day,” Maloney explained. “We saw him last night with regards to the preparation for the game and then he wasn't in today.
“I'll speak to him this afternoon and then he'll make a call for tomorrow. And then I'd imagine he'll make the call for the game at the weekend.
“But, if it's this weekend, great. If it isn't, then we'll prepare for it with that one.”
That is the balance Celtic now live with: respect for O'Neill’s health and authority, matched with the cold reality that matches do not wait. Kilmarnock away is never a gentle assignment, even with a full-strength technical area.
Maloney, who has already sat in the big chair at Hibernian and Wigan, knows what it would mean to lead Celtic out as acting manager. He also knows it would feel unusual.
“We'll definitely miss him if he's not there but you also have to respect what's happened the last few days,” he said.
“The impact that he's had over, what was it, since October, it's been nothing short of incredible really - the things that he does with the players and the staff.
“So we will miss him, but we'll be prepared. We've got some brilliant senior players, but we'll see. We'll let him make the call.”
That impact is the backdrop to everything at Lennoxtown right now. O'Neill arrived as caretaker, twice, then delivered a league and cup Double. Celtic responded by handing him a one-year deal, effectively placing the immediate future of the club in his hands. Those same hands now control when he returns to the touchline.
On recruitment, Maloney’s role remains deliberately limited. Transfer business still runs directly through O'Neill and chief executive Michael Nicholson, and that chain of command has not shifted despite the manager’s brief absence.
Maloney does not expect any new faces in before Sunday, including the much-discussed move for Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan. He confirmed he was aware of interest in midfielder Arne Engels and right-back Alistair Johnston, but stressed he has no indication either will be missing for the Kilmarnock match.
The focus, then, is clear. Prepare as if O'Neill will not be there. Hope that he is. And if the Celtic manager chooses to watch from afar this weekend, his influence will still loom over every pass, every instruction, every decision on that Rugby Park touchline.
