The international break is nearing its conclusion, and Celtic fans are counting down to the return of domestic football. The FIFA window was extended after the traditional September and October breaks were merged, leaving the Scottish Premiership champions to stew for longer than usual.
Celtic went into the break on the back of three consecutive defeats, including two losses to rivals Rangers either side of a Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros. Martin O'Neill admitted he would consider his future following that difficult week.
The Hoops face Motherwell on Sunday, and here is a round-up of Celtic-related news from around the globe.
Deila ready to return
Ronny Deila has insisted he is ready to resume his coaching career after Israeli authorities dropped harassment charges against him. The 51-year-old Norwegian quit as manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv following allegations of sexual harassment in a taxi in May.
Deila was questioned by local police after a complaint was filed, before being released pending further investigations. He resigned, and his assistant manager, former Old Firm and Scotland striker Kenny Miller, took charge and was later appointed permanent boss after leading the club to Israeli Cup success.
Now Deila has revealed the case has been dropped by the Tel Aviv Prosecutor's Office. He said: "I am waiting to return to work as a coach. After what happened in Israel, it was difficult for me to return to coaching, but I recently received a message that the case has been closed. That is good, so now I can start working again."
Deila was recently spotted at a Norwegian Cup match and is set to try to return to coaching. He won two titles and a League Cup while in charge at Parkhead.
Duran's brother on Colombia call-up
Camilo Duran's brother reckons the striker has settled into life at Celtic so easily that it helped him win a call-up for Colombia. The 24-year-old made his international debut for the South American country during this break after an encouraging start to his career at Parkhead.
He netted six goals in a five-game burst, although he has failed to score in his past five matches for the Scottish champions. But his brother Hugo knows how happy the ex-Qarabag striker is in Glasgow.
He said: "Camilo's call-up to the national team was excellent news for us, something we all always dreamed of. We were all so happy about it. The first thing he did was thank God and express his joy at this opportunity. Camilo knew his arrival in Scottish football would be a big challenge for him."
"But he's quite happy there because he was able to quickly adapt to the club, his teammates, and his new environment and that helped him be selected. Camilo has always worked hard, far from his country, from his home and the truth is that he never thought about giving up. Now he is really reaping the rewards. The most important sacrifice he made was leaving home. He did that to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer and we're all so happy for him."
Iheanacho defends Turkish move
Celtic hero Kelechi Iheanacho has defended his decision to move to the second tier of Turkish football after leaving Parkhead. The Nigerian international was recalled to the Super Eagles team for their games this month after an absence of almost 18 months.
The former Leicester City hitman played a big role as Celtic snatched the title in the final moments of last season. But he surprisingly opted to move to Bursaspor after failing to agree a new deal with the Hoops and has so far netted 11 goals in just eight games in the Turkish second division.
And the 30-year-old has no regrets about moving from Scotland to Turkish football. Iheanacho said: "I had my reasons for signing for Bursaspor. For me, football is the same all over the world, no matter where you go. You play the same game everywhere."
"Several of my countrymen are in Turkey and, in the division where I play, there are many Nigerians that people might not know about. But it is a good league. I don’t know how people rate the league, but it’s a genuinely tough division and not as easy as people think. When you come here to play, you will soon see whether it is easy or not. My teammates who are here can testify to that as well. I’m enjoying it and I know they are enjoying it too. It’s a very good league."
