Celtic boss Martin O’Neill reveals unexpected insight before Sporting friendly

Martin O’Neill has admitted Celtic’s pre-season training camp in Portugal has exceeded his expectations as the Hoops prepare to round off the trip with a friendly against Sporting CP.

Celtic face the Portuguese champions at the Estádio Algarve on Tuesday evening, with O’Neill using the week-long camp to improve fitness, assess younger players and continue preparations for the new campaign.

Reflecting on the trip, the Celtic manager said he had been pleasantly surprised by how successful everything had been.

“It’s been excellent, I have to say—better than I expected,” O’Neill told Celtic TV.

“The training facilities have been outstanding, the hotel has been first class and everything has run smoothly. We’ve had our own space, but we’ve also mixed with other people when we’ve had the chance.

“The players have worked extremely hard, the weather has been brilliant, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better camp.”

The squad have completed several demanding double training sessions during their stay in Portugal before reducing the workload as they approach their final pre-season fixture.

O’Neill believes the intensive schedule has been worthwhile, particularly for the younger members of the squad.

“The players have handled it really well,” he said.

“Double sessions aren’t unusual in pre-season. Some managers prefer one long session, while others split the work into two shorter ones. We’ve done both, but now we’re down to one session a day.”

Several academy players have travelled with the senior squad, giving O’Neill and his coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate them in a first-team environment.

While acknowledging that some of the youngsters are beginning to feel the effects of the demanding workload, he believes the experience will benefit their long-term development.

“The double sessions have been fantastic for the younger players,” O’Neill added.

“A few of them are starting to tire now, but that’s all part of their development. Hopefully, as long as injuries stay away, this experience will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.”

O’Neill also admitted he had hoped to implement more tactical work during the camp but accepts there is still room for improvement once the squad return to Scotland.

“I came here with plenty of ideas about what we wanted to achieve, and we’ve made good progress,” he explained.

“That said, there are still areas we need to improve. We’ve only scratched the surface in some aspects, so we’ll continue working on those when we’re back at Lennoxtown.”

Celtic will now turn their attention to Sporting CP before returning home to continue their preparations for the start of the new season.