Keane v O'Neill: Celtic's big decision?

Image caption, Martin O'Neill and Robbie Keane are reported to be the main candidates for the Celtic job By Thomas Duncan BBC Sport Scotland Published 36 minutes ago Then, it seems, there were two. Martin O'Neill and Robbie Keane are reported to be the main contenders to become Celtic's next permanent manager. The club's board appear set to hold talks with both men as they look to make a swift appointment before an important summer for the Scottish champions. After coming out of retirement, O'Neill eventually steered Celtic to a league and cup double over two interim spells this season. Keane has started his nascent managerial career in Israel and Hungary, enjoying some success along the way. With Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou joining Toulouse and Craig Bellamy committing to Wales , the two men appear to be the ones left standing. Will O'Neill come back for more? Ten days ago, 74-year-old O'Neill hoisted the Scottish Cup to complete a memorable double following a chaotic season at Celtic, when he twice had to step in after Brendan Rodgers and then Wilfried Nancy departed. He looked visibly tired at Hampden and admitted, if the season were to start next week, he could not go on and said Celtic may be looking for a younger man. However, he refused to rule out returning in some capacity and was satisfied he had shown older managers could still contribute to the game. His experience and steady hand guided Celtic to a fifth straight title on the final day against Hearts, and players spoke glowingly about his impact. If you extrapolate the average points won by O'Neill in the Premiership across the whole campaign, Celtic would have won the league more comfortably. O'Neill said he had learned a lot from his coaches Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, and the same trio could well go again for Celtic , even if it is just for another year as the club look to rebuild. The Northern Irishman's much-needed rescue job only strengthened his legendary status at Celtic , which stood since his first spell ended in 2005. Now, they could turn to him again. What might Keane bring to Celtic? To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Watch Celtic dispatch Dunfermline to win Scottish Cup Given his spell as a player at Celtic , Keane, 45, has been linked as a candidate to manage the club for most of this season. When the news broke last week that he had quit his role at Ferencvaros after 16 months, those noises grew louder. The former Republic of Ireland international was keen to forge his way in management early, and took his chance abroad by initially joining Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023. He won a league title there and moved to Hungary to join Ferencvaros in January 2025. Keane took the title favourites over the line that season as they clinched a seventh straight championship. Despite their financial advantages, though, Keane's side could not defend the crown this season. A 1-0 loss to ev