Celtic's Martin O’Neill Update: Maloney Shares Insights

Shaun Maloney insists Celtic will simply have to wait on Martin O’Neill.

The assistant manager confirmed there is “no timeline” on the 74-year-old’s return to the dugout after a minor hospital procedure, and that the decision on whether he travels to Kilmarnock on Sunday will rest entirely with the manager himself.

O’Neill, handed a one-year deal in the summer after delivering a league and cup Double during two caretaker spells last season, was discharged from hospital on Thursday. Maloney visited him that evening and came away encouraged.

“It was really positive,” he said. “He was in good form – loads better than he was Monday, Tuesday. Hopefully that sort of positive feeling he has continues.”

O’Neill was well enough to take his place on the touchline for Celtic’s Premiership opener, a 1-0 win over Dundee on Monday, but his involvement at Rugby Park is far from guaranteed. The club are treating the situation on a rolling basis.

“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.”

Maloney ready for the strange scenario

If O’Neill decides to stay away, Maloney will step forward on the touchline – a prospect he accepts will feel unusual, even after his own spells in charge of Hibernian and Wigan.

“It would be strange,” he admitted. “We’ll definitely miss him if he’s not there but you also have to respect what’s happened the last few days.

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 has reshaped Celtic’s season and their dressing room. O’Neill’s authority and presence have been central to the revival; taking that out of the dugout, even temporarily, changes the feel of a matchday. Maloney knows it, the players know it, and Kilmarnock will know it too.

Quiet on transfers as focus stays on Kilmarnock

Off the pitch, Maloney does not expect any late transfer drama before the trip to Ayrshire. Reports have linked Celtic with Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, but the assistant made it clear that recruitment remains a conversation between O’Neill and chief executive Michael Nicholson.

He also acknowledged interest in midfielder Arne Engels and right-back Alistair Johnston, yet has been given no indication that either will miss out this weekend.

For now, the picture is simple. The squad that opened with three points against Dundee is likely to be the squad that walks out at Rugby Park. The only real unknown is whether the man who transformed their season since October will be standing in front of them in the technical area, or watching from a distance while his assistant leads the line.