Celtic are now approaching the final month of their season.
Martin O’Neill’s men now have six matches left: five deciding matches in a nerve-shattering title race, and a Scottish Cup final against one of his own disciples in Neil Lennon.
As the weeks go on without any updates regarding the Hoops’ next permanent manager, two questions linger.
Has a decision been made on O’Neill’s future? And if not, when will it?
Should Celtic make a decision on Martin O’Neill’s permanent future before the end of the season?
Celtic fans continue to wait for Martin O’Neill
Managerial appointments rarely come from the blue nowadays. We knew about Wilfried Nancy and Brendan Rodgers weeks in advance.
The fact that no official talks with any external candidate have been reported raises the possibility of the interim boss staying on.
READ MORE: James Forrest says he ‘loves’ Martin O’Neill, makes Neil Lennon comparison
If the club are to consider keeping O’Neill – and they could do a lot worse – they will have to discuss this with him before the season.
Otherwise, they leave themselves exposed to him potentially rejecting them after the Scottish Cup final, leaving them scrambling without a backup option.
The infamous story of Lennon being offered the job in the shower area in 2019 is well-documented. That day, the board knew that he would say yes. O’Neill could well decide against staying on, regardless of what he achieves.
The club’s other option is to choose a different direction. If they do this, they should already be in talks with candidates.
As things stand, the obvious external options would be Robbie Keane, Jens Berthel Askou and Craig Bellamy – a Nancy-esque wildcard certainly looks unlikely.
Is it too early to be panicking or causing a clamour? Probably. But we’ve seen these kinds of movies before, and many of us are scarred from the club’s forward planning.
The time for a decision – be it public or private – is now.
Agree or disagree?
Robbie Keane and Jens Berthel Askou bookmakers’ favourites for Celtic job
At the time of writing, Keane and Askou are neck-and-neck as favourites for the Parkhead hotseat.
Keane’s pre-existing relationship with Dermot Desmond certainly puts him in an advantageous position, though his recent spell managing in Israel is troubling for some Hoops fans.
He is currently at Ferencvaros, where he was dealt a significant blow in the title-race by Gyori Egyetertes Torna Osztaly FC at the weekend. Easy for you to say.
Askou’s Motherwell are no longer on the stunning run of form that established him as many fans’ preferred candidate, though they have still comfortably overachieved this season.
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