O’Neill future: Roy Keane spotted with Tony Loughlan at Celtic Park

Roy Keane was not on his own during Celtic’s defeat to Rangers on Sunday, with journalist Stephen McGowan revealing that former Ipswich coach Tony Loughlan was alongside him at Celtic Park.

Keane’s appearance at the stadium had already raised plenty of eyebrows given the uncertainty surrounding Martin O’Neill’s position, but the presence of Loughlan has added another talking point to an already intriguing situation.

Writing in the Herald, McGowan described Keane as sitting alongside his former Ipswich right-hand man Loughlan during the match.

Celtic suffered a 1-0 defeat to Rangers at Parkhead, extending a difficult run of results which has seen O’Neill’s side lose three matches in succession.

The sequence began with the 3-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat to Rangers before Celtic were beaten 3-1 by Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener. Sunday’s Old Firm loss then compounded the problems facing O’Neill.

The Celtic manager has already indicated that the international break will give him an opportunity to speak with the club’s hierarchy about the situation.

O’Neill has also repeatedly referred to a period of reflection, acknowledging that he needs to assess what he and his players can do differently following the recent results.

That backdrop inevitably meant Keane’s presence attracted attention.

The former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder has previously been linked with the Celtic job and knows the club well from his time as a player. However, there is currently nothing to establish that his visit to Celtic Park had anything to do with the managerial position.

The same applies to Loughlan’s attendance.

While the former Ipswich coach worked alongside Keane during his managerial spell at Portman Road, there has been no suggestion from the information currently available that either man was at Celtic Park for discussions with the club.

It would therefore be a significant leap to interpret their appearance as evidence of an impending managerial change.

For now, the confirmed developments centre on O’Neill and the Celtic board.

The manager is set for discussions with the hierarchy during the international break after three consecutive defeats, while Keane’s appearance alongside a former member of his coaching staff has inevitably provided another layer of intrigue.

With Celtic now facing questions over their recent performances and O’Neill openly discussing a period of self-assessment, the focus will remain on what comes from those talks with the club’s decision-makers.