Chris Sutton states how fans would have reacted had Shaun Maloney been handed the sole Celtic gig

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The positive to come out of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic exit is the return of Martin O’Neill.

Yes, it’s only for a brief period, but one of Celtic’s legendary figures and characters is back in Glasgow, and not in the capacity he or anyone expected.

Whilst Rodgers’ abrupt resignation shocked everyone, the bigger surprise was O’Neill taking interim charge, alongside former Hoops player Shaun Maloney.

It was a welcome surprise from Celtic, and Chris Sutton spoke about the unusual road the club decided to go down.

• READ MORE: Celtic predicted XI vs Falkirk as Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney take charge for first time

Chris Sutton on Celtic bringing back Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney

O’Neill’s managerial career speaks for itself, but Maloney is new to the game, having had stints at Wigan as well as at Hibernian.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Sutton stated that, had Maloney been in sole charge after Rodgers’ exit, it probably wouldn’t have gone down well with supporters.

“It’s interesting Martin O’Neill now coming in with Maloney, in a sort of caretaker capacity,” said Sutton.

“I understand the appointment of Martin because he is a very popular manager. He was my manager when I first went up to Celtic. He is loved by the supporters there.

“I think had the club handed the role to just Shaun Maloney. I think a lot of the supporters would have been unhappy about that. They have a figurehead and a front piece.”

Celtic’s upcoming games until the international break

It seems as though Maloney and O’Neill are going to bounce off each other, which, for the short term, is a great idea, and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

The duo have been thrown into the deep end straight away, and the post-Rodgers era begins against Falkirk on Wednesday night, before the League Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday.

Will Celtic have a new permanent man in charge by then? Two more games will follow before the November international break, and that will allow the Hoops extra time, if needed, to bring somebody in.

• Celtic vs Falkirk, October 29, Premiership
• Celtic vs Rangers, November 2, League Cup
• Midtjylland vs Celtic, November 6, Europa League
• Celtic vs Kilmarnock, November 9, Premiership