Roy Keane holds unseen Celtic talks with Martin O’Neill that reveal a brutal truth about his future

Roy Keane says Martin O’Neill knows that he is under pressure if Celtic go on a three-game winless streak.

The Manchester United icon got the fans talking after he made a surprise return to watch Celtic in action on derby day against Rangers.

But it wasn’t the result Keane would have hoped to see his ally O’Neill and former club manage, as they stumbled to a 1-0 defeat on home turf.

O’Neill has admitted following a third consecutive defeat – which leaves the Light Blues just two points off the table-topping Hoops – that he will consider his future during the international break.

And that will be no surprise to O’Neill ally Keane – who he worked with together previously in the Ireland and Nottingham Forest – having previously talked with the 74-year-old about the pressures of the job.

 

He revealed his talks with the gaffer on the Stick to Football podcast after his return to Celtic – and he understood the importance of winning: ”I chatted to him last week after the game.

“He said, ‘We won. You have to win. If you get enough wins, you should be all right. You can survive long enough.’

 

“If you’re not getting results. You don’t need an owner to sit down. You go, listen, if things don’t pick up in the next two or three games, go, yeah, I know that. I’m not daft.”

 

Those comments are eerily similar to the situation O’Neill finds himself in now, having suffered two defeats to Rangers either side of the Europa League loss to Ferencvaros.

Speculation has ramped up that Keane could be a potential replacement for under-fire O’Neill – but he appears to have already distanced himself from the post.

 

And it’s easy to see that the pair share a bond – with Keane describing his time working with the legendary gaffer at Ireland as a career highlist.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast last year, Keane said: “I go back throughout my career and my experience with Martin, particularly going to the Euros, was probably the highlight of my career.

 

“It sounds bizarre because we always talk about playing, and I loved playing, but our time with Ireland was probably the highlight.

 

“I just loved everything about it. The dynamics, the energy of the group, working with Martin and the other staff members. There was something going on there and there was a feel-good factor.”