Daizen Maeda of Celtic scores our fourth goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 10, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Q: Just on Daizen, Martin, he scored today. You said earlier in the week you were going to maybe speak to him and his agent about his future. Have you got any update on that situation?
Martin O’Neill: “No, I haven’t at the minute and I will do now that we’ve got a couple of days, you know, on Monday and Tuesday. I would hope that he’d stay at the football club. I’m fearful of saying something to you here and finding out maybe three days later something else has happened. But no, I wouldn’t want to lose him.”
Benjamin Nygren celebrates his goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 10, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Q: Martin, watching that game today, if you’ve just come in from afar and seen it, you would actually wonder what all the fuss has been about for Celtic this season. It just seems so seamless?
Martin O’Neill: “We did play very well. Sometimes I leave that out when we’re talking about winning the game. The winning, of course, was very, very important. The performance was really good. Again, it does give you a boost. But Wednesday night is a big test for us. I thought that we were ready for the game from yesterday’s training. But you never really know until you play. Liam Scales, he’s made a really good challenge. That’s just after we had scored as well. So that could be an important moment. What I’m saying to you is if the confidence is kind of fragile, then that sort of thing can change again, then it gives the opposition a big boost. But we rode that one out and we saw it through.”
Benjamin Nygren of Celtic celebrates after he scores our third goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 10, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Q: Can I ask, I’ve watched you for all the goals and you didn’t celebrate. For the first two, you just sort of gave a little bit… Was that conscious or was it just…?
Martin O’Neill: “No, no, no. I just get worried. First of all, I’m getting old and therefore I can’t jump as high. And I’m frightened in case I fall down and embarrass myself!
Q: Seriously?
Martin O’Neill: “Well, it’s part of it. No, it is the part of it. I have made a fool of myself on plenty of occasions. Jumping up and then you’ve got a bit of studs in here and they can maybe slide and you feel it complete. No, but just getting the goals. I didn’t celebrate because I get worried.
Q: Inside it must have been…
Martin O’Neill: “A great feeling, honestly. It’s really lovely tonight, honestly. So I shall watch the American football with great delight.’
Q: Which game?
Martin O’Neill: “Well, whatever’s on. I think there’s usually someone on Saturday. There are play-offs. It’s got to the play-off stages. So I haven’t had time to look, but I think it’ll be on at some stage.”
Back to the Future.
Hail Hail