Martin O'Neill Released from Hospital as Celtic Await Dugout Decision

Martin O'Neill has been released from hospital and is “in good form”, with Celtic waiting to see whether their 74-year-old manager will be well enough to take his place on the touchline at Rugby Park on Sunday.

Assistant Shaun Maloney delivered the update ahead of the William Hill Premiership meeting with Kilmarnock, painting a far brighter picture than earlier in the week after the club confirmed O'Neill had undergone what was described as a “small procedure”.

“I went to see him last night. He got out of hospital yesterday,” Maloney said. “He was in good form last night, loads better than he was Monday, Tuesday. Hopefully those sort of positive feelings continue.”

The relief inside the club is clear. The uncertainty remains.

Day to day. That is how Celtic are handling their manager’s involvement. There is no fixed return date, no firm promise that he will stride out at Rugby Park, only a rolling assessment that will continue right up to the weekend.

“No timeline. So even for the game at the weekend, it's sort of day-to-day,” Maloney admitted.

O'Neill, who has been central to Celtic’s resurgence, still drove the preparation for Kilmarnock from a distance. The staff visited him on Wednesday night to go through plans for Sunday, even though he was not present at training the following day.

“We saw him last night, with regards to the preparation for the game and so he wasn't in today,” Maloney explained. “I'll speak to him this afternoon and then he'll make a call for tomorrow and then I'd imagine he'll make the call for the game at the weekend.

“If it's this weekend, great, if it isn't, we'll prepare for it without him.”

The club’s official communication earlier in the week had sought to calm speculation while drawing a clear line around O'Neill’s private life. In that statement, Celtic confirmed the hospital procedure and indicated they expected him to be discharged “in the next day or two”, while passing on his gratitude for the many messages from supporters and asking that the privacy of O'Neill and his family be respected.

That request still stands, even as the mood around Lennoxtown lifts.

Celtic now move towards Sunday with a familiar split focus: three points at Rugby Park on one side, their manager’s continued recovery on the other. Whether O'Neill walks out of the tunnel or watches from home, his presence will hang over the afternoon all the same.