Martin O’Neill has now dropped another strong hint that he may walk away from Celtic despite completing the domestic double at Hampden.
The Celtic manager sounded emotional after the Scottish Cup Final win over Dunfermline, but his latest comments again suggested serious doubts about continuing into next season. O’Neill has repeatedly spoken about enjoying the dressing room, the coaching staff and the challenge of dragging Celtic back into the title race, yet every conversation about long-term plans seems to end the same way.
With uncertainty.
That makes the timing awkward for Celtic. Champions League qualifiers are approaching quickly and several areas of the squad still need addressed during the summer window. O’Neill clearly sees weaknesses in the current group physically and tactically, especially after the title race forced Celtic into a far more direct style late in the season.
You can also hear how much he still enjoys football itself.
The passion remains there. He said that himself. But managing Celtic over a full season is very different from stepping into an emotional title race midway through the campaign with experienced players already inside the building.
The “project” line probably revealed more than anything else.
O’Neill has never been a manager interested in slow rebuilds based around patience and development over years. During his first spell at Celtic he wanted proven quality immediately and famously convinced principal shareholder Dermot Desmond to sanction the £6 million signing of Chris Sutton when many thought the fee looked excessive.
That aggressive mindset still seems part of how he views football.
The Celtic manager reflected on all of that while discussing his future after Hampden.
He said: (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard), “I don’t think I’ll ever lose the hunger. I don’t think I’ll lose the passion for the game. Honestly, I really don’t.
“I think when they’re putting a lid on top of me, I think I will jump up and say, well, what’s the score? But I think it’ll be hopefully a Celtic score. But yeah, that I don’t know. I did say here, if you were asking me about where you’d start back in a week’s time, I genuinely couldn’t do that.
“I’ll have to have a think. I think in the next week, I’ll meet up with the owner, see what he’s saying. Hasn’t said anything to me.
“So I don’t know whether that’s good news or bad news. But yeah, I will genuinely have a wee look at it to see. But I would be thinking that the football club to go forward, to go forward properly, would probably be looking at somebody younger. If you’re asking me, would you have a project or something that gets here? No, I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t have it.
“I’ve never believed in a project anyway, to tell you the truth. But I definitely couldn’t do that.”
The interesting part is that O’Neill never sounds emotionally detached from the squad. He talks about the players like somebody still deeply involved in the daily work rather than somebody already halfway out the door.
You can also tell he believes there is more improvement left in this team. Celtic became increasingly reactive during the title run-in. The midfield sat deeper at times, moments became messier and games often turned physical instead of controlled. O’Neill clearly thinks a proper pre-season could reshape parts of that.
At the same time, he keeps returning to the same point whenever next season comes up. Age. Energy. The reality of committing to another full campaign from June onwards. Those doubts sound genuine every time he speaks.
That is why supporters are still left trying to read between the lines after every interview. One answer sounds like a manager planning next season. The next sounds like somebody preparing to leave on a high.
