'Just as determined now' -Martin O'Neill confirms he will remain as Celtic manager after considering his future

The 74-year-old admitted before the international break that he would consider his position and talk to the board after Celtic suffered three consecutive defeats inside a week. A Europa League setback against Ferencvaros was sandwiched between two losses against Rangers.

However, speaking to the club's website, Martin O'Neill confirmed his readiness to continue. When asked how determined he was, O'Neill stated: "I am. I'm extremely prepared for it. We had a difficult week. It can happen, you can lose to your arch-rivals, you can lose a European game. It's certainly not the end of the world, as it seemed to be described. But (I'm) ready to go."

The manager explained that his time away provided a necessary chance to evaluate recent performances and reset his focus for the remainder of the campaign.

O'Neill added: "I did think I would take a little bit of time and it didn't take me that much time to think about it. I want to lead the club, I want to try and win the league, which is what we set out to do, and just as determined now as ever before. It was a time of reflection for a moment or two and, yes, some things that you think about. But overall, I'm back, I'm raring to go and the team's ready."

O'Neill emphasised the importance of self-analysis during difficult runs, noting the margins in their recent defeats were incredibly small. He pointed out that an equaliser against Rangers would have changed the match entirely. He continued: "What you try and do is analyse the things that you've done or perhaps the things that you haven't done. Throughout my managerial time, I've been exactly that. I think I look to myself, first of all. Maybe a wee bit different as a player, because I think I used to blame every other player for my own bad performance. But, as a manager, you've got to look at yourself. And if you feel as if something has dropped away, of course you have to analyse it."

Celtic return to domestic action when they face Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday. O'Neill will hope to have a strengthened squad available, with Jota recently playing 45 minutes in a training-ground friendly, while Alistair Johnston and Callum Osmand have both returned to the training pitch following hamstring injuries.