O’Neill, 74, was accepting a special honour at the Belfast Telegraph’s 2026 Sport Awards when Carl Frampton shouted from the audience, suggesting Celtic should have stuck with Wilfried Nancy during last season’s turmoil.
The former boss was quick to bite back. He said: “What did you say, Frampton? Was that just a crass comment that you made? I am actually bigger than you. If you’re arguing with me then I will get Billy Hamilton to sort you out.”
O’Neill, who stepped in following Brendan Rodgers’ exit and Nancy’s brief eight-game spell, had earlier joked about his chances of landing the job on a longer-term basis amid ongoing talks with Dermot Desmond.
He quipped, “I think he is looking for a younger man, a 71-year-old! I am getting awfully old, but I don’t know what’s in his mind, whether I would have the energy to do it again. I really don’t know.
“But it was nice to be asked the first time, and because of it, I get your award, so thank you very much.”
Talks over Celtic’s next permanent manager have been pushed back until next week, with O’Neill still in the frame alongside names such as Robbie Keane and Craig Bellamy.