Martin O'Neill has gotten more than most would have out of this Celtic team. But even the Northern Irishman's magic fell short at the weekend as the Hoops lost to Dundee United 2-0.

The result meant that Celtic don't have any control over the title race any longer. Even if they win all seven of their remaining league games, it might not be enough for them to win the league.

Hearts are five points ahead, while the Rangers have a two-point lead over Celtic. That is never a situation that you want to be in, especially in this season, when their rivals have not done anything extraordinary either.

Celtic's squad needs to undergo an overhaul in the summer. Fresh faces need to be brought in. And they need to have genuine quality about them.

At the same time, the managerial decision will be just as important, if not more. O'Neill is 74 years old and is not expected to continue, even if he somehow manages to win the double.

Who will be his replacement? Celtic need to get that right this time, having already failed once when they brought in Wilfried Nancy.

Celtic need to bring in an experienced manager who has already proven himself in European football. And a pretty solid name, that fits that criteria, has suddenly joined that list if reports are anything to go by.

Christian Ilzer is now being suggested as one of the frontrunners for the Celtic job, almost out of nowhere.

If the reports are accurate, then this is reason for Celtic fans to be happy. Ilzer is a proven manager at the Bundesliga level.

He has been the Hoffenheim manager since 2024. He was able to help them prevent relegation last season. And this time around, he has taken things several steps further at once, and has them sitting in fifth in the Bundesliga table, exceeded any expectations that might have been set when he was brought in.

His past achievements also deserve mention. He won an Austrian Bundesliga with Stur Graz alongside a couple of Austrian Cups as well.

That just goes to show that in the right team, Ilzer has the ability to deliver winning football. That is exactly the step many managers fail at, when making the jump from mid-table teams to ones expected to compete for trophies constantly.

Nancy never appeared to be capable of dealing with that. Ilzer might very well be, and could be a solid addition for the Hoops.

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