In a perfect scenario, Martin O’Neill would be prepared to continue his remarkable return to Celtic after guiding the club to both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup during an impressive interim spell. However, with the veteran manager now 74, doubts remain over whether he would be willing to accept the role on a permanent basis.
Should O’Neill step aside, attention is already turning toward possible replacements. Former Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou is believed to be under consideration, while another familiar name has also entered the conversation.
Reports from Football Insider claim that Celtic are monitoring Robbie Keane after his recent exit from Ferencvaros. The former Celtic striker is currently available and, although he is not viewed as the frontrunner, he remains an option being considered by the club this summer.
Keane earned praise during his time in Hungary, where he favoured a 3-5-2 formation and won 52 of his 82 matches in charge. His achievements appear to have caught Celtic’s attention, though whether he is the right man to follow O’Neill is still uncertain.
As a longer-term appointment, Keane could provide stability at Celtic Park following a turbulent year of change behind the scenes — something the club hierarchy are eager to restore.
O’Neill himself previously backed Keane for the role, saying in April: “Robbie has done very well at Ferencvaros, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be considered. Celtic should be looking at managers of that level. I worked with Robbie during my time managing the Republic of Ireland.”
Reflecting on his own surprise return, O’Neill admitted he never expected to manage Celtic again and was initially hesitant when approached by the club.
He explained: “I genuinely never imagined I’d return to Celtic as manager. If it was ever going to happen, I thought it would have been many years ago while the club were still dominating. When Dermot contacted me, I was stunned. I had concerns because of my age and because football has changed a lot over the years.”
