Martin O'Neill says he is staying on at Celtic after a short period of reflection on his future. He had three consecutive defeats inside a week before the international break, including two losses to Rangers and a Europa League setback against Ferencvarosi TC, but he now says he is ready to keep going.
O'Neill's decision
Speaking to dailymail.com, O'Neill said, "I am. I’m extremely prepared for it." He added, "I did think I would take a little bit of time and it didn’t take me that much time to think about it. I want to lead the club, I want to try and win the league, which is what we set out to do, and I’m just as determined now as ever before."
That stance matters because Celtic are still top of the Premiership with 18 points from 7 games, so the recent slump has arrived from a strong league position rather than a collapse in the table. The European side of it is less tidy, with Celtic 28th in the Europa League after one game and a 1-3 defeat to Ferencvarosi TC, but O'Neill's own view is that the bad week should not be turned into something larger than it was.
Injury news before Motherwell
There was also some better news around the squad. Jota played 45 minutes of a training-ground friendly against Falkirk on Friday, a useful sign after 18 months out with a knee injury. O'Neill said Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand had returned to the training pitch after hamstring injuries, and he will assess Yang Hyun-jun on Friday after hamstring trouble on international duty.
Celtic's next listed fixture is away to Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday, 2026-10-11.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
