“At this moment until we get some recruitments in, it’s needs must,” Martin O’Neill | OneFootball

Martin O’Neill has moved to justify Celtic’s choice to bring Stephen Welsh back from his loan spell at Motherwell…

The defender returns to Glasgow after an impressive run of matches under Jens Berthel-Askou’s side, where he had become a regular starter in a Motherwell side currently sitting fourth in the Scottish Premiership, just four points adrift of the champions.

Following a convincing 4-0 victory over Dundee United in O’Neill’s first match since beginning his third stint in charge of the Hoops, the club activated a clause allowing them to end the 25-year-old’s loan agreement at Fir Park.

Auston Trusty. Premier Sports Cup Final. St Mirren v Celtic. Hampden Park, Sunday 14 December 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

The decision has been influenced by a shortage of defensive options, with Cameron Carter-Vickers sidelined for an extended period. Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Dane Murray remain the main centre-back choices, with Welsh now added back into the rotation.

Alarm bells are ringing for supporters who believe that with £77 million in the bank, the club could easily go and spend money on a defender. But that’s not the Celtic way of doing things.

Speaking to Celtic TV [behind a paywall], O’Neill outlined the reasoning behind the move and defended the club’s approach.

Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill in dugout with Celtic interim assistant manager Shaun Maloney and Celtic assistant coach Gavin Strachan. Celtic v Dundee United, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 10 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

The interim Celtic boss said: “Well, at the moment, he’s enjoying himself immensely at Motherwell. We have this opportunity to do that and then he can go back out again before the end of the window, back to Motherwell if he can.”

“Now, the last thing you want to do is stop somebody really enjoying himself and he’s having a really, really great season with a team that’s flying. They play some beautiful football.”

O’Neill added: “I’ve only had a chance here this morning to just say hello to him. But really in essence, we at this moment until we get some recruits in, then needs must and we can do it.”

Stephen Welsh of Motherwell, Dundee v Motherwell, Scottish Premiership, Dens Park, Dundee, 13 September 2025. Photo Neil Hanna IMAGO/Shutterstock

“I’m totally unaware of the rules at this moment, having been out for some time, but I think I was reminded that we had to do something pretty quickly. If it passed a certain day then we couldn’t do it. I think there was a cutoff.”

“And as I said, we will see, but we just need him in case we’ve got anything that happens to any of our defensive players. We’ve got three at this minute, you’ve got young Dane who’s very inexperienced in that sense, who I think can definitely be a player, I think there’s a player there. But if anything happens to those lads at all, then you are in a bit of trouble. So we might look at something again, but we’ll see, but that’s the reason for it.”

It is expected Welsh will be thrown straight into the squad for tomorrow night’s trip to Falkirk Stadium, in what is now a must win match for Celtic.

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