Martin O'Neill has been discharged from hospital after undergoing a small procedure, with Celtic assistant Shaun Maloney saying the 74-year-old is in good spirits but a decision on his dugout return for Sunday's trip to Kilmarnock remains day-to-day.
O'Neill was absent from Lennoxtown on Friday as Maloney and Mark Fotheringham took training, with the club having announced midweek that the manager had a "small procedure".
Maloney positive after hospital visit
"I went to see him last night. It was really positive. He got out of the hospital yesterday," Maloney said. "He was in good form last night. Loads better than he was Monday, Tuesday. Hopefully that sort of positive feeling continues, but he was in good form."
Asked when O'Neill will return to work, Maloney said: "No timeline. So even for the game at the weekend, it's day-to-day. We saw him last night with regard to the preparation for the game. He wasn't in today. I'll speak to him again this afternoon, and he'll make a call for the game tomorrow."
Maloney ready to step in
Maloney says he's prepared to lead the team at Rugby Park if O'Neill is unavailable. "It's strange. We'll definitely miss him if he's not there, but you also have to respect what's happened in the last few days," he said. "The impact he's had since October has been nothing short of incredible. So we will miss him. We'll make him do the call."
Celtic are in advanced talks over a deal to sign Egypt World Cup star Haissem Hassan, but Maloney doesn't expect the Real Oviedo winger to be signed for this weekend. "Not too sure. The processes around the club has genuinely been Martin and Michael. I don't see anything changing in the squad this weekend," he added. "Apart from Jota being unavailable, everyone else is fit. For transfers, I don't see any ins or outs. Martin is still over it."
