Martin O'Neill has confirmed that he does not intend to remain as Celtic head coach beyond the end of the season, saying that he intends to "keep the seat warm" for a permanent successor that he thinks will be "a young manager with proven ability."
O'Neill was named as interim manager after Brendan Rodgers' resignation was announced on Monday. It marks O'Neill's second spell in charge of the Scottish giants -- he left Celtic for Aston Villa in 2005 after winning seven major trophies during a five-year reign.
Asked about his previous stint at the club, O'Neill told talkSPORT: "I had a super time there. It was an absolute privilege to have managed them before. My time had gone.
"I think I said that to you a long time ago. I can't emphasise this enough, this is a short term until a permanent manager is appointed.
"I think that Celtic will be searching around, as I said to you, for that young manager with proven ability who has got a bit of a track record. I will just sit in there and keep the seat warm for him."
Rodgers' exit was followed by an extraordinary statement from principal shareholder Dermot Desmond who said he felt the former Liverpool boss had been "divisive, misleading, and self-serving."
O'Neill, who has been out of management since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in 2019, revealed that Celtic first contacted him about taking over from Rodgers on Monday afternoon.
"I got a call late afternoon, early evening yesterday from Celtic from Dermot Desmond, and Dermot asked me would I step in because Brendan had resigned from the football club," O'Neill said.
"It's obviously the kind of shock news really as much as anything else. Shocked me as well too.
"But just to step into the breach and just do it on a short-term basis until a permanent manager is appointed."
- Postecoglou succeeding Rodgers at Celtic would be 'smart' - Sutton
- Rodgers 'divisive,' made 'untrue' comments - Celtic chief
- Scottish Premiership table
Asked whether he hesitated before accepting the offer, O'Neill added: "A very good point. Like everything else, I took a gasp of breath and thought: 'is this real or surreal?'
"It's difficult really to turn down somebody who gave you the job in the first place when he had really some great options a way back 25 years ago.
"So from that viewpoint, maybe by the time that I pulled myself off the floor, I probably thought then maybe I should do it.
"I think they were probably stunned by the news that Brendan left and as a consequence, they maybe might be obviously seeking a permanent manager.
"So this is like a short-term, I'm not going to say a fix, but it's certainly a short-term fit. Whether it's a fix or not, it's another thing."
O'Neill will take charge of Celtic for the first time when they host Falkirk on Wednesday.