Celtic are reportedly considering David Moyes as their next manager, with the whisper being branded "disrespectful" to under-fire Martin O'Neill.
The Parkhead icon led the club to their fourth defeat in five games on Thursday night as the Scottish champions were trounced by Benfica in a 4-1 Europa League defeat.
O'Neill under mounting pressure
O'Neill admitted he had considered his future last month after heading into the international break with a league loss to their rivals Rangers. The 74-year-old opted to fight on with the Glasgow giants, and while a Premiership win over Motherwell last weekend appeared to calm the waters, pressure is mounting yet again.
The heavy loss in Lisbon has seen the punters ask major questions, with rumours south of the border speculating that former Hoops' defender Moyes is on Celtic's radar.
Contract situations and reaction
The Scot will see his Everton contract expire at the end of the season, while O'Neill's deal also expires, despite the club having an option to extend the veteran Irishman's deal.
Former Rangers man Bardsley, who spent years in the Premier League with Sunderland and Manchester United, reckons the Glasgow giants shouldn't be looking beyond O'Neill at this stage, due to his history with the club. Speaking to Record Sport via Compare Bet, he said: "I just think it's disrespectful to Martin O'Neill.
"I'm not quite sure what's going on, but for someone who's done such a remarkable job and had a great career at Celtic, doing what he did last year when at one point we thought Hearts were running away with the league, then Rangers were back in it, for Celtic to nip it at the end was an incredible job from Martin and his staff.
"Obviously you can have a tough start, and then different managers get mentioned for the job when you've already got a brilliant manager in the role. It's totally disrespectful to the manager, and I wouldn't be best pleased if I were Martin O'Neill.
"Obviously they've got a lot of issues going on off the pitch with the ownership, and the relationship with the fans looks like it's broken down, but for people to be asking and speaking about a new manager coming in after all he's done, it doesn't sit well with me."
Moyes expected to wait for Premier League job
Former Celtic man Scott Sinclair reckons that Moyes will likely wait for a Premier League job, even if he leaves Everton. Speaking to Record Sport via Andy's Bet Club, the Hoops' Treble winner said: "David Moyes? It would take him a lot to leave Everton and the Premier League. He's a big Celtic favourite having played there and would command instant respect.
"But I can't see it happening, even though his contract expires at the end of the season at Everton. There would be a lot of Premier League clubs also keen if he did ever leave Everton given his record, so it's not one for me that I see happening."
Speaking about his future at the club ahead of Everton's clash with Chelsea on Saturday, Moyes conceded there had been a "lull" on contract talks. He added: "As I have said many times, it is not the most important thing for me. I just want to try to keep driving Everton on and build them on to see if we can keep continuing to improve."
