It would be safe to say that Martin O'Neill has exceeded all expectations during his stint as the interim manager of Celtic. Nobody would have expected to see him back in the dugout, coaching the Hoops again. But with Brendan Rodgers resigning in the middle of the season, he answered the call in an hour of need.
Many had worried that O'Neill would struggle to get a tune out of a poor Celtic team and hurt his legacy in the eyes of the younger fans of the club, who had not witnessed his original run at Parkhead. But it has been exactly the opposite.
O'Neill has won six of his seven games in charge of Celtic this season. This weekend's one against Hibernian was expected to be his last one.
Now, though, there is a twist in the tale. Celtic have not managed to appoint Wilfried Nancy yet and that could lead to O'Neill continuing in charge for another game. As reported by Anthony Joseph:
"Interim Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has appeared to confirm that Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy will take over as permanent manager, once the paperwork has been completed.
A delay has meant O’Neill could be in charge against Dundee on Wednesday."
Martin O'Neill's Celtic future takes last-minute twist
It is safe to say that no Celtic fan will complain if O'Neill continues on for another game. On the contrary, many are not convinced by the timing of this Nancy appointment.
It might have been safer to delay it until the Scottish League Cup final. Bringing in a new manager now comes with the risk of derailing the momentum that has been built up during O'Neill stint.
At the same time, it would only be right if O'Neill gets to manage one last game at Celtic Park, which is where the Hoops will play Dundee next. So, in the end, it might have all worked out for the best.
Of course, it will only make things tougher for Nancy. His first three games as Celtic manager could be at home in a top-of-the-table clash against Hearts, then a Europa League matchup against AS Roma and finally the Scottish League Cup final against St Mirren.