Martin O'Neill sees two Celtic traits that tell him Ange is in for Parkhead long haul and Champions League tilt

Martin O'Neill insists he’d never have walked away from Celtic if he hadn’t needed to put his family first.

The former Hoops boss revealed only the sack would have seen him leave the club he departed on compassionate grounds to care for his wife Geraldine, who had cancer, in 2005. After gaining legendary status by claiming a treble in his first season, the O’Neill legacy also included the Road to Seville and a UEFA Cup Final loss to Porto two years before exiting the club.

The 71-year-old also insists Ange Postecoglou is showing similar traits of contentment and ambition to stay the course at Parkhead with Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers another step to a possible domestic treble. He said: “I didn’t jump. I went because of personal reasons. I would’ve stayed here until they bombed me. Sooner or later, you get bombed. Of course I would’ve stayed. If my wife hadn’t taken ill I would’ve stayed here.

“Ange looks to me, from a distance, really happy here. That genuinely means a lot. I came up here in 2000 having left Leicester. I wouldn’t have left Leicester for too many teams even in the Premier League.

“I came up here and of course you have to win. If you are winning then your life is going to be a lot better. I wouldn’t have changed this for anything and his experiences here, I don’t think he’d change. He’s on such a run at the moment, regardless of what happens at the weekend, that I think he’d want to continue.

“There’s a shelf life like anything else but Postecoglou has far from reached it. He’s done superbly and hopefully that continues but yes, I’d have stayed here.”

O’Neill is well aware of some admiring glances towards Postecoglou from a host of chief executives at large Premier League clubs but