One Celtic fan was left fearing O'Neill could tarnish his legacy by hanging around too long

Tony Pulis says a Celtic fan told him he's 'frightened to death' that Martin O'Neill could tarnish his legacy at the club by staying on too long.

O'Neill returned first on an interim basis last season before coming to their rescue once again after the Wilfried Nancy disaster to steer them to a Double.

He resumed charge in the summer and they sit top of the league after back-to-back league wins following the international break, but haven't been wholly convincing. They've lost three out of three in the Europa League and back-to-back defeats to Rangers before the break had O'Neill considering bis future.

They returned with a bang to thump Hearts but looked shaky in their 2-1 victory over Hibs last time out.

And veteran former Stoke City and West Brom boss Pulis says he's heard it from the horse's mouth than fans are fearing he could overstay his welcome.

Pulis told CasinoHawks: "I was speaking to a massive Celtic supporter who goes up there every week the other day, and Martin is an absolute legend up there. The supporters idolise him.

"The one thing this lad said to me, which resonates a bit, is that he is frightened to death that Martin loses that esteem that he's got from the supporters the longer he goes on, whereas at the moment he is absolutely idolised by everybody up there.

"But telling Martin that is another thing. He'll be wanting to prove everybody wrong. Until they knock the nails in his coffin, he'll still be trying to prove people wrong, which is brilliant.

"To have the energy and commitment that he's got at a club like that which demands you to win every week, it's not over a season, it's every week, is extraordinary.

"Their second half performance in Europe was very good. I thought they played really well in the second half. First half they were poor, second half they played really well. And to beat Hearts by the scoreline they did probably brought a lot of relief to supporters and made them a little bit more comfortable sitting in their seats this weekend."

Former Celtic winger Scott Sinclair however feels O'Neill is the right man to lead them to another title.

Sinclair, who was a big part of the Invincible Treble and Treble Treble winning sides under Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon, admits Rangers are providing more of a challenge than Celtic are used to.

But he still believes the Hoops are the team to beat – and will win Six in a Row under O'Neill.

Sinclair told Andy's Bet Club: "When you play against Rangers, it means so much. Playing in it, you understand how big of a game it is for the fans and it's what they live for when both teams meet on the weekend.

"The main priority is to win the Premiership every season. When you're at Celtic, you're expected to play and win every single game, and it's the same with Rangers now.

"Rangers have improved but for me, Celtic will always be the team everyone is chasing and Martin O’Neill is the right man to go and win another title.

"He has so much experience, and you can see that in how he manages Celtic to silverware. Even when fans and people are talking and aren't happy with certain results, he is still the right man to be at Celtic. The main thing for him is to go out and win the league and he will do that."