Roy Keane issues brilliant reaction to Martin O’Neill’s Celtic return, as Gary Neville poses question

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The last time Martin O’Neill was in the dugout, he was sharing the touchline with Roy Keane.

That was the returning Celtic hero’s short stint at Nottingham Forest in 2019, as many would have thought that would be his final bow in management.

But then Brendan Rodgers left Celtic in a brutal fashion, verbally kicked out of the door by Dermot Desmond, and the Treble-winning icon was back in Glasgow to the surprise of many.

Understandably so, it has been the talk of the football media this past week, as Roy Keane brought it up on the latest edition of the Overlap.

• READ MORE: Roy Keane says he regrets taking one job, but he did it out of ‘respect’ for Celtic hero Martin O’Neill

Roy Keane reacts to Martin O’Neill returning to Celtic

One of the standout things with O’Neill’s Celtic return is the enthusiasm he has shown on the touchline, and it has played a big part in wins over Falkirk in the Premiership and then Rangers in the League Cup semi-final.

Towards the end of the podcast, with a smile on his face, Keane brought up O’Neill’s return, and he was keen to mention the ‘energy’ he is showing at his age.

That’s when Gary Neville wanted to know if the 73-year-old, who is the oldest active football coach in Britain, still trains or works out to keep himself going in such a way.

Keane asked with a smile on his face: “Hey, what about Martin going into Celtic?”

Neville: “Have you spoken to him?”

Keane: “No – Martin is 73 now. But he has got energy. Martin has an energy about him.”

Neville: “Does he train? Like, does he do fitness?”

Keane: “No, I just think he has a decent lifestyle with food. And I don’t think he is a big drinker.”

Age of coaches O’Neill has faced on Celtic return

That’s two games O’Neill has been in charge of in his second stint. Starting with the win over Falkirk, and then the Hampden triumph.

On Thursday, it’s a return to Europe, with Celtic taking on FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, before heading into the November international break by facing Kilmarnock at Parkhead.

It’s not yet known if O’Neill will still be in the dugout in a fortnight, but this is the age of the coaches he has come up against so far, and will come up against this week.

• John McGlynn of Falkirk: 63 years old
• Danny Rohl of Rangers: 38
• Mike Tullberg of FC Midtjylland: 39
• Stuart Kettlewell of Kilmarnock: 41