O\u2019Neill returned with a bang<\/a>, as the Hoops eased past Falkirk in midweek, but now attention will turn to the League Cup semi-final against Rangers. <\/p>\n Yes, O\u2019Neill has stated he is back in Glasgow for the short-term, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if Celtic beat Rangers at Hampden<\/a>, then the talk from the fans will be very different.<\/p>\n At the age of 73, O\u2019Neill is the oldest active manager in Britain<\/a>, and he is surrounded by a lot of young coaching talent, as Kris Boyd<\/a> touched upon. <\/p>\n Speaking on Sky Sports, Boyd was asked whether O\u2019Neill could get the gig full-time, but he simply feels it will be given to \u2018somebody else\u2019, as he helps the likes of Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham, Stephen McManus and Gavin Strachan build their management game. <\/p>\n \u201cI think Martin is a figurehead,\u201d said Boyd. \u201cObviously, Shaun Maloney has gone in there. Mark Fotheringham has come in. Stephen McManus has been promoted. Gavin Strachan is still there. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, there are coaches who have been there, and they have added to that. There is no doubt that if Celtic had gone and appointed Shaun Maloney, the fans would have been asking serious, serious questions.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, to bring Martin back. That figurehead. It would allow the inexperienced ones, as such, to go and coach on the pitch, which Shaun Maloney has done for a number of years now. Mark Fotheringham has definitely done it for a number of years. <\/p>\n \u201cYou could look at that and say, if they had someone like a Martin O\u2019Neill to allow them to go and develop. But I think it would be somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill\u2019s record as Celtic manager <\/p>\n Jock Stein is regarded as Celtic\u2019s greatest-ever manager, with his most historic triumph being that famous 1967 European Cup win.<\/p>\n Nobody will match what Stein did, but O\u2019Neill is probably Celtic\u2019s greatest-ever modern-day manager, including that famous Treble lift after the turn of the century. <\/p>\n![\"Celtic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2244028353-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Ian MacNicol\/Getty ImagesMartin O\u2019Neill to be Celtic\u2019s next permanent manager? <\/p>\n