Martin O'Neill has given his thoughts on Celtic's upcoming squad rebuild, subtly hinting that he may be staying on.
The manager has done a fantastic job since coming on. His results have meant that the Hoops have managed to claw their way right back into the title race, and now, there is a genuine chance that they could walk away from this season with the Scottish Premiership trophy.
However, one thing we can't shy away from, trophy or not, is the massive squad rebuild awaiting us in the summer. Many players will leave, and many will come in. When all players return to Celtic from their loan deals, we will be left with 30 first-team players on our books. O'Neill has admitted that he didn't realise just how big the squad was.
He said: "In terms of getting other players into the football club, yes, we will have a top-heavy squad come the end of the season or come when people are reporting back. I did not realise how big it is."
O'Neill also admitted that he thinks recruitment is crucial, despite having to move on a number of players: "To bring new people in, you'll have to. Absolutely, you couldn't cope with that, you couldn't cope. And that might not be the easiest thing in the world.
"Of course, we've got some players here that other teams in big leagues will probably want. And that's something to consider.
"But if you're talking about players coming back from loans, who maybe have another two years to run, those things might be difficult.
"I suppose the last thing that those players want to do is. having been out on loan, then going back out on loan again.
"Either they want something permanent, or they want to feel as if they could do the job here.
"The answer is I haven't seen those players. So I should really be looking at what they can do. But I honestly haven't had the time at this minute."
O'Neill and the future of Celtic
At this point next season, we are going to see a totally different squad. Massive players could choose to make a move elsewhere, with Premier League interest in top performers like Benjamin Nygren, and we really don't know right now who will stay and who will go.
O'Neill's comment about how he should be looking at what loan players can do is interesting. You'd think that by the time they return, a new manager may be through the door already. It shouldn't be left to O'Neill to renew their deals or decide their future, unless he is planning to stay on.
There is still a slight possibility that he could be in the job next campaign. We haven't really heard anything new related to the managerial search in a while. Jens Berthel Askou and Robbie Keane are of interest to the Celts, but those are just two names that have been thrown around.
He has not ruled himself out of the job yet, and some people are taking his recent comments as a hint that he is planning to stay.
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