Martin O’Neill took the time to pay tribute to long-serving Celtic hero John Kennedy during his first press conference as interim manager.
Kennedy departed the Hoops after 27 years at the club as both a player and coach following Brendan Rodgers’ decision to resign.
Mark Fotheringham has joined the Celtic coaching staff in the meantime as O’Neill and Shaun Maloney take charge while a permanent replacement is found.
O’Neill managed Kennedy during his playing days and was quick to recognise his achievements at Parkhead.
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Martin O’Neill recalls John Kennedy’s time at Celtic
The Celtic legend’s time in Glasgow coincided with Kennedy’s early playing days, when he was coming onto the scene.
While it was early days, he left a lasting impression on O’Neill, who wished the former coach well.
He said: “John Kennedy was just a young kid coming into the team when I was at Celtic. He played two games – Rangers and Barcelona then got that bad injury playing for Scotland.
“He’s been part of Celtic for quite some considerable time. I wish him well.
“I haven’t had a chance to speak to him, those changes took place before I came in.”
Kennedy is yet to publicly break his silence on the departure, but the news of his exit is arguably just as surprising as Rodgers’.
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