Martin O’Neill has revealed he briefly spoke with Dermot Desmond in the tunnel after Celtic’s dramatic title win against Hearts, although he insists there were no talks about his future.
The Celtic interim manager finally delivered the league title last weekend after one of the wildest finishes Scottish football has seen in years. Arne Engels’ penalty dragged Celtic level before Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand scored deep into stoppage time to spark chaos inside Celtic Park.
Then came the pitch invasion.
Supporters flooded onto the field immediately after Osmand’s goal while referee Don Robertson eventually ended the match following discussions with Hearts staff and the SFA. Somewhere inside that madness, O’Neill briefly crossed paths with Desmond.
That moment naturally caught attention because Celtic still have not clarified who will manage the club beyond Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final against Dunfermline.
O’Neill originally returned earlier this season as a short-term fix after Brendan Rodgers resigned. Then after Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous spell collapsed in January, Celtic turned back to him again.
Now he sits one match away from a domestic double.
The uncertainty around his future has only grown stronger because of the emotional connection supporters have built with this title-winning run. O’Neill repeatedly speaks about Celtic “coming from nowhere” to win the league and the players clearly responded to him during the final weeks of the campaign.
O’Neill discussed his conversation with Desmond after the Hearts game.
He said: (PLZ Soccer), “No, I saw him, I think I told you, or maybe I didn’t, I saw him for a couple of minutes in the tunnel at the game with he and his son Ross for a moment too and it’s the first time I’ve spoken to him for some time.
“But I was not expecting anything anyway and certainly not this week and anything that we wouldn’t be discussing would be after Saturday.”
Those comments probably tell their own story.
Celtic’s entire focus right now is on Hampden rather than managerial discussions. O’Neill has looked fully locked into trying to complete the double against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline side rather than negotiating his future publicly.
At the same time, the fact discussions have not happened yet leaves the situation wide open.
Craig Bellamy, Robbie Keane and Roberto Martinez continue to be linked externally while supporters remain deeply split over what Celtic should do next. Some believe the club must plan long term with a younger appointment. Others look at the way O’Neill rebuilt the side mentally and wonder why change anything at all.
