Martin O'Neill reaffirms Celtic commitment after three straight defeats

Martin O'Neill has reaffirmed his intention to continue leading Celtic after using the international break to consider his future. BBC Sport reported that the 74-year-old manager remains committed to pursuing the league title despite a sequence of three defeats that prompted him to question whether his managerial career should end.

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Celtic lost twice to Rangers last month, with a 3-1 home defeat by Ferencvaros in the Europa League between those matches. O'Neill subsequently raised the possibility of stepping away. According to the BBC, chief executive Michael Nicholson publicly supported the manager as the club rallied around him following that difficult run.

O'Neill signed a one-year contract to remain at Parkhead after two interim spells last season ended with Celtic winning the league and Scottish Cup. In his latest club interview, he said his period of reflection had been brief and that he still wanted to lead the team and compete for another league championship.

The club's account of the interview, published on October 6, said Celtic were preparing at Lennoxtown for Sunday's trip to Motherwell. That fixture begins a schedule of nine matches in 28 days. Several players remained away with their national teams, leaving the coaching staff waiting for their return before the domestic programme resumes. Celtic are two points clear in the league.

O'Neill also provided an update on Jota, saying the winger had played 45 minutes in a practice match against Falkirk the previous Friday. The club reported that Yang had been part of South Korea's Asian Games gold-medal squad but missed much of the tournament because of a hamstring strain. Neither update amounted to a confirmed selection for the Motherwell match.

Speaking about the players already back at training, O'Neill described a positive atmosphere among those who had not been away on international duty. He stressed that winning matches remained the central requirement and said the squad's determination was strong. His comments came with Celtic still awaiting the return of other internationals and hoping they would arrive back without injuries.