What Did Martin O’Neill Do – Ex-Star Astonished By Celtic Man’s Improvement

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Former top flight star Lee Miller believes Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate has looked like a changed player under Martin O’Neill and added that he performed exceptionally in recent games. 

The Japanese midfielder did not have a good start to the ongoing campaign under former boss Brendan Rodgers and came under heavy scrutiny, with Pat Bonner pointing out that Hatate was having a tough time on the pitch.

After the departure of Rodgers, O’Neill took charge of Celtic on a temporary basis and he managed to improve the Bhoys’ form, with Hatate also registering two goals and three assists in the last eight games. 

On Wednesday night, Hatate put in a brilliant performance to help Celtic win 1-0 against Dundee, which was O’Neill’s last game in charge of the Bhoys, as Wilfried Nancy has been announced as their new boss, with the former Columbus Crew manager declaring that he knows what is expected of him. 

The midfielder’s performances in recent games have not gone unnoticed by Miller, as he stressed that Hatate has been an exceptional player for Celtic under O’Neill. 

Miller is of the view that O’Neill has a part to play in Hatate’s improvement in form, as he stated the Japanese star is a changed player. 

“The difference in Hatate from when Martin O’Neill came in…”, Miller said on the Scottish Football Podcast (3:50).

“I don’t know what he said or did.

“Has he told him to play with freedom?

“Whatever [O’Neill has done], he has been exceptional.

“In the last few games he seems like a different player.” 

The 28-year-old midfielder will now be aiming to impress new Celtic boss Nancy on the training ground and it remains to be seen whether he can carry on with his recently discovered form for the rest of the season. 

If Nancy cannot maintain the levels that O’Neill steered Celtic back up to then there may be questions about the Bhoys not keeping the veteran boss until the end of the season.

Former Celtic star Kenny Miller, who saw Nancy closely during his time in MLS, believes that the Hoops fanbase can expect a similar style of football to what they saw their team play under former managers Ange Postecoglou and Rodgers.