Martin O’Neill says Celtic must now turn full focus back to domestic football after Thursday night’s Europa League defeat to Celta Vigo.

It was another sore European night for Celtic, who had a chance to take control when Liam Scales hit the bar at 1-0.

Instead, Celta Vigo levelled from a free-kick before Javi Rodriguez struck again minutes later from outside the box.

Europe now pauses for a few weeks, and O’Neill has made clear that Celtic’s next domestic fixtures have to take priority.

Speaking to Sky Sports Scotland, he said: “What we have now is we’ve got three very, very important games.

“So European football disappears for a while at this minute.

“The domestic football is so, so important to us.

“We need to try and win.”

That starts with Sunday’s trip to Easter Road to face Hibernian.

Celtic remain top of the Premiership, but the wider form is still a concern. They have lost five of their last seven matches in all competitions, and the Celta Vigo defeat has added more pressure to the Hibs match than there might normally be.

O’Neill was also asked whether Celtic’s strong domestic performance against Hearts had any bearing on their readiness for Europe.

The 7-1 win at the weekend was a major lift, but the manager made clear that domestic and European football have to be handled separately.

He said: “What you had to do was a domestic performance at the weekend. Whatever the result may be, you push that to the side and totally focus on the European game.”

Celtic can look sharp and ruthless in Scotland, but European games have exposed different problems. Celtic have struggled to control spells without the ball, and once Celta equalised on Thursday night, the game moved away from them quickly.

He said: “Honestly, I think a draw might even have been a fair result.”

That line will split opinion after another home European defeat, but O’Neill’s focus now is clear enough.

Celtic cannot do anything about their Europa League position this weekend. They can only make sure the damage from Europe does not carry into the league.

Easter Road has rarely been easy for Celtic, and Hibs will see a chance to test a side coming off another draining night.

O’Neill needs a response, not just in performance, but in result.