Phil Bardsley has called speculation over Martin O’Neill’s Celtic future “disrespectful” as talk continues around who could manage the club next.

The 4-1 defeat in Lisbon brought more criticism, while frustration with the board has also grown among supporters.

Catch up on Martin O'Neill's return as Celtic manager in full.

But Bardsley does not believe it is right for names to be linked with the Celtic job while O’Neill remains in place.

Speaking to Record Sport via Compare Bet, Bardsley said: “I just think it’s disrespectful to Martin O’Neill.

“I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but for someone who’s done such a remarkable job and had a great career at Celtic, doing what he did last year when at one point we thought Hearts were running away with the league, then Rangers were back in it, for Celtic to nip it at the end was an incredible job from Martin and his staff.

“Obviously you can have a tough start, and then different managers get mentioned for the job when you’ve already got a brilliant manager in the role.

“It’s totally disrespectful to the manager, and I wouldn’t be best pleased if I were Martin O’Neill.”

Bardsley believes O’Neill has earned more respect after what he did last season, when Celtic came through a difficult title race and finished strongly.

That does not mean the pressure is not real.

Celtic’s European results have been poor, and the Benfica defeat again exposed problems that have been building for a while.

He also pointed to the wider situation around the club, with boardroom criticism now a major part of the story.

Bardsley said: “Obviously they’ve got a lot of issues going on off the pitch with the ownership, and the relationship with the fans looks like it’s broken down, but for people to be asking and speaking about a new manager coming in after all he’s done, it doesn’t sit well with me.”

That last line will land with plenty of supporters, even if not everyone agrees.

There is no doubt O’Neill has work to do.

Celtic host Hearts at Celtic Park this weekend before Celta Vigo visit in the Europa League next week, and those fixtures now carry even more significance after Lisbon.

Results will decide how quickly the mood changes.

But Bardsley’s defence of O’Neill is a reminder that not everyone sees the manager as the main issue.

The noise around Celtic is bigger than one bad European night, and Bardsley clearly believes O’Neill deserves better than being treated like a man already on the way out.