Martin O’Neill believes Celtic should be looking at keeping Marcelo Saracchi beyond this season.

The Hoops boss was speaking after the 2-1 win over Livingston, a night that saw the Uruguayan grab his first goal for the club.

It was a tidy moment from Saracchi. His first touch inside the box set everything up, and he finished it calmly after 15 minutes, putting Celtic in front and settling the mood early on.

Since arriving on a season-long loan from Boca Juniors in the summer, Saracchi has mostly had to bide his time behind Kieran Tierney.

That is hardly a slight on him. Tierney has been flying.

O’Neill made that clear when discussing both players. He said (SunSport):

“Yeah, I think they should try. Kieran is playing brilliantly for us at this moment – back to the Kieran Arsenal ended up buying.

“He’s doing really well. But this little lad scored the goal for us. He’s a strange character.

“I’ve called him Manuel from Fawlty Towers because he hasn’t a clue what I’m saying to him!

“He just says ‘Yes’ to everything! But I think the club should be looking at something like that.”

O’Neill might not be around beyond the end of the campaign, but that has not stopped him giving a clear view on the situation.

He sees something in Saracchi that is worth holding onto.

At 27, and with a year left on his Boca contract, there is at least room for a conversation. Boca will know time is ticking on that deal, and Celtic would not be walking into talks without some leverage.

The bigger question is how the club see him.

Tierney has returned to something close to his peak level, driving forward with purpose and looking every bit the player Arsenal once paid big money for. When he is fit and in that form, he starts.

But Celtic have learned in recent seasons that relying on one option in key positions can leave you exposed when injuries or fixture pile-ups hit.

Saracchi has not always been flawless defensively and has had his injury issues.

Still, he offers energy, a willingness to get forward and, as Livingston found out, an eye for arriving in the right area at the right time.

O’Neill has thrown the idea out there.

Now it is over to the people upstairs to decide whether Saracchi is worth the investment or simply a useful loan spell that did its job.