Three things you may have missed from Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney’s first Celtic presser

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Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney faced the media for the first time since being appointed as interim managers.

The pair will take the reins at Celtic Park following Brendan Rodgers’ sudden decision to resign on Monday night.

O’Neill was shocked by Dermot Desmond’s call but the 73-year-old will return alongside Maloney for the first time in 20 years to lead the Hoops.

With all eyes on the duo, here are three things you may have missed from the press conference.

• READ MORE: John Hartson shares the role at Celtic Martin O’Neill could really want

No board members were present

An announcement as big as this would’ve usually required members of the Celtic board to be present, however, only two seats were put out for O’Neill and Maloney.

Desmond, Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and others are all under the microscope too, but didn’t face any questions from the media.

It comes after Desmond blasted Rodgers in his damning statement on Monday night.

And even though fans want answers from the hierarchy, they will have to settle with the interim managers for now.

Martin O’Neill doubles down on not wanting the job permanently

Earlier in the day, O’Neill had said he didn’t want the Celtic job permanently but was asked again during his unveiling.

Unsurprisingly, he was keen to stress that this will only be temporary, no matter how long the club need him.

He said: “This is definitely an interim. They could have a new manager in two weeks’ time. If we don’t win on Wednesday we might have a new manager on Thursday.

“So I don’t know that – and that’s not good news for Shaun to hear because he’s hoping I’ll be around for a year. But Celtic will be looking for a new manager with a very strong CV.”

Maloney and O’Neill relying on senior players

While Maloney may be working with the Celtic academy already, O’Neill hasn’t been in work since 2019 and football has evolved rapidly since then.

The pair took training together on Tuesday morning ahead of the Hoops’ clash against Falkirk on Wednesday night and the 73-year-old revealed that he has called upon the senior professionals like Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest to lead the team.

“Callum, James and Kieran I relied heavily upon this morning. We’ve got enough experience and guys that have won. These moments are really difficult but it’s the senior players who are relied upon the most and it won’t be any different tomorrow night,” he added.