O'Neill eager to end doubts over his future

Martin O'Neill has urged the Celtic hierarchy to end the uncertainty over his future.

The Celtic manager met with the club's plc chairman, Brian Quinn, and the majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, last week to discuss whether to extend his contract beyond the end of the season.

O'Neill said he has not heard from the Celtic board since the first round of talks but he expects discussions to resume in the near future. He said: "There's not a thing to report on my own situation and I haven't spoken to them. I haven't spoken to the chairman since but I would expect to get a phone call soon."

O'Neill joked that his own situation remains Celtic's top priority but he is also hopeful that Stilian Petrov will sign a new deal in the next couple of weeks. The midfielder was quoted in the Bulgarian press last week as saying that he would leave Parkhead if O'Neill did not stay beyond the end of the season. But the manager is confident that Petrov will be keen to pledge his future to the club.

He said: "It's news to me that he wants to leave. His agent is coming up in the next week or so and we'll try to tie up a few loose ends."