The next Celtic manager looks set. Martin O'Neill was expected to step down once his interim run ended this summer. But the Northern Irishman exceeded all expectations, guiding a struggling team to a Premiership and Scottish Cup. Now, that is set to result in at least one more season in the Parkhead hot seat.

Most fans will agree with the decision. Even though O'Neill is 74 years of age, he has shown that he can still get results. And it is intriguing to see how he will do with a better squad.

Then there are those who feel that the club should have made a longer-term appointment. That is a valid view to have for sure.

For a while, it had looked like Robbie Keane was closing in on the Celtic job after holding talks over it recently.

So, why did that not happen? Well, now we seem to know the reason why. And it had a lot to do with the supporters and their reaction to the Keane links.

According to The Scottish Sun, Dermot Desmond finalised talks with O'Neill after backing away from discussions with Keane. He was initially eager to appoint a younger manager.

Keane was at the top of Desmond's list. But those negotiations collapsed after a backlash from the club’s supporters.

So, it looks like Celtic fans have played their part in making sure that O'Neill ended up getting the job. Now, it remains to be seen if the Northern Irishman can justify that selection.

In many ways, if he had chosen to step away now, it would have been a fairytale ending for O'Neill.

He won a Premiership and Scottish Cup double. But the circumstances made it even more extraordinary. He could not have scripted a better ending to his managerial career if he tried.

READ MORE: Celtic Hero Tipped to Make Parkhead Return This Summer

Yet, that run seems to have given him a new hunger as well. When O'Neill spoke after the end of the season, it did not sound like a man who was ready to walk away.

Instead, he spoke of the work he had been doing behind the scenes to get himself up to speed with modern tactics and his plans to implement them in pre-season, if given the chance.

Now, he is going to get that opportunity. And we will get a chance to see arguably a version of O'Neill's football that we have not seen before. The last one was good enough to win a double. Can he go one step further this time around?

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