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Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill is reportedly "edging closer" to being appointed on a permanent basis by the Scottish Premier League champions, according to Football Insider. After Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager last month, O'Neill took the reins with Shaun Maloney as his assistant, and has so far enjoyed a winning start to life back at Celtic Park. In his first game in interim charge, Celtic beat Falkirk 4-0 in the Scottish Premier League and followed that up with a monumental 3-1 win over arch-rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-final. As a result of his impressive start upon his return, O'Neill is said to be increasingly likely to see out the season in the Celtic hotseat, and is prepared to do so. O'Neill May Become Rodgers Replacement At Celtic Football Insider add that O'Neill is "prepared" to become Celtic boss until the end of the campaign, and that the imperative cup win over Danny Rohl's Rangers has added even more credit to this proposition. O'Neill previously spent 266 games in charge of the Scottish giants, between 2000 and 2005, and is an admired figure among the fanbase after masterminding an extremely successful period in the Hoops' history. Between the 2000/01 and 2004/05 seasons, O'Neill oversaw three Scottish Cup victories, one Scottish League Cup win and three successive Scottish Premier League title wins. His history at the club and his flawless start as interim boss in his second spell have "strengthened" his position to replace Rodgers permanently. However, Football Insider note that their upcoming clashes against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and relegation-threatened Kilmarnock will be pivotal to whether the veteran manager is given the Celtic reins until the end of the season. Not only would O'Neill's permanent appointment likely be a popular choice among Celtic supporters, his comments following the victory over Rangers highlight that the 73-year-old is also in high spirits thanks to sporting the Hoops' tracksuit on the sidelines once again. After the win over Rangers, to see Celtic through to next month's Scottish League Cup final, O'Neill told Celtic's media: "I’m really grateful. I’ve always said that it’s a privilege to manage Celtic. "If you had asked me last Sunday, I’d have told you I’d be watching this game on television, so from that viewpoint it’s enormous. "To be back down in amongst it again, it definitely did bring me back. "For us to win against Rangers was terrific and now we’re in a final. I genuinely didn’t know the final was in December time! "It was great, the crowd were fantastic and I appreciate it and have genuine warmth for it all." O'Neill will be hoping to preserve his 100% win rate in his third game back in charge when his side travel to Denmark to face Midtjylland in the Europa League, who currently sit top of the competition as Celtic remain in 21st.
