Things had ground to a halt under Rodgers. Celtic were simply awful in a 2-0 defeat at Dens Park and not much better in the 3-1 mauling at Tynecastle.

That proved the final straw for major shareholder Dermot Desmond and the board.

It’s been night and day since O’Neill returned to the club where he’d been revered in his previous stint between 2000 and 2005.

Where Celtic had struggled for goals and creativity in the latter stages of the Rodgers era, they’ve flown in under the former Republic of Ireland manager.

Players who didn’t have much of a look-in before, such as Auston Trusty, Callum Osmand and Johnny Kenny, were given a chance. The likes of Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, a shadow of their former selves early in the season, suddenly look reborn.

This now looks more like the Celtic of a year ago, when Rodgers had the team at the peak of its powers, swatting domestic opposition aside and looking like a very decent Champions League outfit.

While league leaders Hearts have, by their own admission, lost their ‘swagger’ in recent weeks, Celtic have rediscovered theirs.

“There’s been a response,” O’Neill told Sky Sports after the win over Hibs. “Some of the players can really, really play this game. They just lost a bit of confidence.

“Half the team wouldn’t have known who I was. They’re thinking, this gentleman has arrived, quite old, grey hair. Who is he? And has Father Christmas come early? But it’s reinvigorated me, being around young people.

“I often thought that, you know, if you can praise the players well, they’ll accept a little bit of criticism, even in this day and age.”