Shaun Maloney deputised for the absent Martin O’Neill in Celtic’s William Hill Premiership clash with Kilmarnock as the 74-year-old continues to recover from a hospital procedure.
But O’Neill visited the players at their team hotel ahead of the Rugby Park encounter and is improving after his health issue.
Celtic announced earlier this week that the former Republic of Ireland manager had undergone a “small procedure” in hospital on Wednesday before being discharged the following day.
Assistant manager Maloney told Sky Sports ahead of the game: “He is doing better again. He came to the team hotel and spoke to the players but he just needs an extra few days. But he’s good. He is definitely improving.”
Maloney said the players would miss their manager’s influence in the dressing room, but that did not impact their performance as new signing Kasper Hogh his a first-half hat-trick in a 5-1 win.
After the match, Maloney spoke more about O’Neill’s pre-match visit, saying: “He was at the team hotel and took the team meeting, speaking to the players. Then he told the staff to get on with it.
“I’ve never experienced anything like what’s happened this week. The staff and the senior guys have been very good. I’m really pleased for the boss to get the win.
“The quicker we get him back the better. We’ll see how it goes day to day. He was much better, he was in good form when he spoke to the group.
“You know what he’s like, his only instruction was to go and win. We had a meeting on Saturday night and it was normal, where we went through his team selection, he picks what he thinks and he asks the staff.
“It was a boost for all of us to see him. There is a real good bond between the boss and the players. I’m glad he spoke to them before we left, it had a real positive impact.
“It will be up to him when he feels good enough – and if the doctors are happy then he’ll just come back in.”
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