Martin O’Neill was absent as Celtic completed their preparations for Sunday’s Premiership trip to Kilmarnock, with the manager continuing his recovery after spending time in hospital this week.
▫️ Maloney leads training in O’Neill absence
▫️ Johnston and Engels feature amid interest
▫️ Jota back in action after injuryThe headlines from Celtic training as they prepare to visit Kilmarnock on Sunday – live on Sky Sports 📺 pic.twitter.com/RdCLWTKPwy
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 7, 2026
The Hoops confirmed on Wednesday that the 74-year-old had undergone a “small procedure”, with the expectation that he would be discharged within the following 48 hours.
O’Neill has subsequently stayed away from Lennoxtown, leaving Shaun Maloney to oversee first-team preparations alongside coaches Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus.
Sky Sports report that Maloney will also step in for the manager on media duty, including taking charge of Celtic’s pre-match press conference this afternoon.
Whether O’Neill will recover in time to return to the technical area at Rugby Park remains unclear, with his availability for the weekend fixture still to be determined.
There was, however, an encouraging sight during Friday’s session as Jota continued to make progress towards his long-awaited comeback.
The Portuguese winger linked up with the first-team group as he stepped up the final stages of his rehabilitation from the serious knee injury which has kept him out of competitive action for more than a year.
Jota suffered a cruciate ligament tear at Tannadice in April 2025 and has endured a difficult recovery, with several setbacks ultimately ending any prospect of featuring during the closing weeks of last season.
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1 Comment
Would be surprised to even see MoN in the dugout this weekend?
So a bit unsettling still, in what MoN longer term plans could be at present imo?
A huge boost to see Jota stepping up within his recovery process, all the same.
The timeline was meant to be another 2 months away, before he’s in contention for selection for a match day squad?
Would be fantastic if that timeline actually gets reduced, but we certainly won’t be rushing him back into action?
Just hoping he suffers no more setbacks, as could result with his career upon the line, all the same imo?
Still an exciting prospect of a returning Jota, even if it’s with huge cautions currently?