Celtic: Martin O’Neill insists club need January signings

O’Neill expressed sympathy for Nancy, whose departure after just 33 days means he is the shortest-serving permanent Celtic manager.

The Frenchman, who was heavily criticised for sticking with a 3-4-3 system, lost six of his eight matches in charge after O’Neill had won seven of eight as interim boss.

The Northern Irishman, who first managed Celtic from 2000-05, said he felt like a “supply teacher” during his first caretaker spell and acknowledges he will experience the same pressure as Nancy if he also fails to get results.

However, O’Neill insists he will “not have any excuses” as he aims to drive Celtic on to a successful end to the season.

“It is Celtic and you have to fight back after adversity.” he says. “I would’ve assumed that you would want to try and close the gap.

“Rangers have closed up alongside us. We’ve got a battle on our hands. It is a difficult task for us. We’ve still got 18 [league] games left.

“Whatever system we do decide to go, just let’s not have any excuses. Let’s try and win.”