Martin O’Neill once detailed what impressed him most about Dermot Desmond when he was first appointed as Celtic manager in 2000.
The Hoops legend has returned to Celtic Park on an interim basis alongside Shaun Maloney after Brendan Rodgers sensationally resigned on Monday night.
O’Neill admitted to being surprised by the call from Desmond to return to Parkhead, despite the fact that the two clearly have had a positive relationship in the past.
Martin O’Neill was impressed with Dermot Desmond
Having spent five years at the club in his first spell with the Hoops, O’Neill knows exactly how Desmond and the rest of the Celtic board operate.
In his autobiography: ‘On days like these’, the 73-year-old recalled the first conversation he had with the Hoops owner and was full of praise for his ideas.
He wrote: “Dermot Desmond is strikingly impressive. I have been interviewed by him and the board members some days earlier in a London hotel and have been given the job.
“I don’t suppose he has got to where he is by being indolent but his energy is limitless, as is his desire to put Celtic back on the football map.”
Martin O’Neill shouldn’t be Celtic’s long-term option
It may be an emotional return to Parkhead for O’Neill, but nobody can kid themselves here.
Aged 73, the club legend’s last job was a brief spell in charge of Nottingham Forest in 2019.
Football has evolved a lot since then, and even if results pick up early doors, the Hoops cannot afford to stay in the past.
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