Martin O’Neill is ready to bid farewell to Celtic on Sunday

Thursday’s 3-1 win over Feyenoord ended Celtic’s four-year wait for an away win in Europe, while O’Neill, alongside manager Sean Maloney, sealed a League Cup semi-final extra-time win over Rangers.

“I enjoyed it, honestly,” O’Neill said of his interim stint.

And the best part? “Winning games,” he smiled. “That will never change. Beating Rangers always helps.”

O’Neill coached Celtic from 2000 to 2005, winning three league titles, three Scottish Cups and the League Cup. He also led them to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.

With their only defeat in this transition coming to Midtjylland in the Europa League, the former Northern Ireland international was happy to put on a show against Feyenoord in the same competition.

“I shouldn’t underestimate the performance,” he said. “I thought we were really great.

“It was as good as we played in my time here.”

O’Neill has not coached any club since his dismissal from Nottingham Forest in June 2019.

“During the time I wasn’t coaching, I always thought I could manage,” he said. “The appetite is always there. In my last days on earth, I will still think ‘Yes, it’s okay, I will be able to do this.’

“This was an opportunity presented to me by the man who gave me the job 25 years ago [major shareholder Dermot Desmond].

“I have no doubt that I would have been skeptical if someone else had asked me to do it on a temporary basis. But the invitation to coach Celtic again was absolutely fantastic and it’s all coming together which is really great,” he added.