Martin O’Neill was back in the public eye on Thursday evening at an event in Leicester.
O’Neill remains one of the two men in talks with Dermot Desmond over the permanent vacancy at Celtic Park.
The other candidate is Robbie Keane, who is now in Seoul for a charity match. As of yet, we have no indication that either individual is closing in on the job.
Many in the Parkhead support would favour O’Neill after his incredible impact in interim charge, and he was back in touch with another set of supporters by whom he is adored.
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Martin O’Neill attends event with an audience in Leicester
The event was called ‘An audience with Martin O’Neill’ and took place at De Montford Hall in Leicester, where the Irishman spent five years as manager.
The appearance was originally scheduled to take place in February but was pushed back to June.
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You have to respect the class of O’Neill fulfilling his obligation at the event at a time of widespread media attention and speculation.
The 74-year-old defied his doubters to secure a league and Scottish Cup double, despite Celtic being well adrift at the beginning of both of his interim spells.
Keane is also a serious contender, however, aided by his pre-existing relationship with Desmond. It’s fair to say that the 45-year-old is not such a unanimously loved candidate.
Craig Bellamy hasn’t been ruled out of the running, despite publicly reaffirming his commitment to honour his contract as Wales boss.
Keane is set to be immortalised in his hometown of Kilrea after his achievements last season; many fans would also like to see him honoured outside Celtic Park.
But the question on everyone’s lips is simple: is his Celtic story going to continue for one more season at least?
Should Celtic build a statue of Martin O’Neill outside of Parkhead?
Martin O’Neill on his Celtic future
In his most recent update on his future, the 74-year-old said: “This has been a surreal experience for me, both times coming back, yeah, and I wouldn’t disagree with you.
“Is it impossible to say no to Celtic? No, I don’t think, no, I don’t think that at all. I don’t.
“I think that if I decided not to come back, or was asked whether I would have the choice or not, no, I don’t think that either. No, I really don’t.
“I’ve come back, answered a sort of a call at the end of it all. It’s exciting what had happened, and it’s over now. We’ve won.
“But it could be conceivable that you would weigh everything up, and even if you were to get an offer, you may well still decide it’s not for you. I could do, I really could do, I could do that, yes.”
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