When Martin O'Neill left his post last year, making way for Wilfried Nancy, almost nobody had expected to see the Northern Irishman back in the Celtic hot seat again. In fact, his original run as interim boss had come out of nowhere after Brendan Rodgers and was viewed by many as a decision based on nostalgia, as he had been out of management for more than five years at that point.

O'Neill did show that he still had it though, steadying the ship and getting a string of positive results. But that hard work was undone when Nancy managed just two wins in eight games before being sacked in a run that lasted just over a month.

Celtic decided to go the safe route instead of trying to make another permanent appointment and brought back O'Neill until the end of the season.

That has proven to be the right decision. O'Neill has gotten as much out of this Celtic team as anybody else could have.

With two league games to go, they are still in the title race, somehow. They sit a point behind Hearts. On the other hand, they will take on Neil Lennon's Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final.

O'Neill had even guided Celtic to a League Cup final but did not get the chance to manage in that game. Nancy was brought in before that and oversaw a one-sided 3-1 defeat at the hands of St Mirren.

What does the long-term future hold for O'Neill? He is widely expected to step down but he has never said that he is absolutely going to do that, leaving the door always slightly open.

He came closest to doing so after Celtic's recent Glasgow Derby victory. When asked by BBC Sportsound whether there was any scenario in which he could manage against the Rangers again, O'Neill said:

“I would have thought… that would well and truly be the last one.

“I’m not so sure that your heart can take any more of these derby games.”

If that was indeed the last time that we saw O'Neill manage in a Glasgow Derby, which is very likely, then it has been quite the run. It was also great that Celtic could win it for him, with Daizen Maeda's overhead kick a nice cherry on top. In many ways, it could not have gone better.

Of course, there is very little time for reflection if you are O'Neill. He will know the importance of the next two league games. Win them, and Celtic are champions of Scotland again. And then there is the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline Athletic. Most probably the last game that the Northern Irishman will ever manage in. Let's hope Celtic can send him off with two more trophies to cap off a glittering career.

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