Martin O’Neill did not hold back when asked about the comments of Frank McAvennie after the former Celtic and West Ham striker had a go at Auston Trusty for taking a period of time off work to mourn the passing of his father.

McAvennie caused a stir online when his latest podcast dropped and in it he criticised the American defender for taking so much time off playing and branded the whole thing “woke”.

The backlash it caused online saw so many people come out and criticise Frank for his comments that many believe are from a bygone era. The notion there should be a cap on grief for anyone whether they work as a bus driver or a football player is an out of date way of thinking which did Frank’s generation a lot of harm.

Our Celtic manager page covers his record and background.

Asked about the comments before Celtic’s Europa League tie against Besiktas, the Celtic manager did not hold back.

“That’s really poor taste,” Martin said speaking to The Herald.

“I know I’ve said some things and ended up backtracking. But that’s a family bereavement.

“And that’s making someone’s mind up about how long they should be grieving and stuff like this here. That’s not on.

“Trusty asked me for some time [off]. Even if it’s a celebration [of his late father’s life], it doesn’t matter. The father’s been in poor health for quite some considerable time.

“And I know there was a stage where he thought that he wasn’t going to see it through. But I’m with Trusty the whole way there. Because I wouldn’t want anybody to tell me that I had to grieve over a brother or sister dying. And I’ve had that.

“He’s 28 years of age. And he’s taken it badly. Honestly. I’ve afforded him all the time he wants.

“At some stage, obviously, he’ll be coming back. But at the end of the day, I’ve given that time because I know that we might be talking about different eras or whatever the case may be. That’s nothing to do with it. This is a family thing. And that’s not right.

“So, Trusty has got the time and he’s got the backing of myself and he’s got the backing of the club.”

A terrific statement from the manager and one we can all get behind!

After the backlash a statement was put out by Frank saying he should have been more careful with his words and was aware how his comments came across. However, there was no formal apology.

On Wednesday evening Frank dropped a second statement after some soul searching and made sure to directly address Auston and his family in it.

Frank’s second statement:

“Frank here. I’ve had more time to think about what I said about Auston on the podcast and I know my statement yesterday didn’t go far enough.

“I’m genuinely sorry for any hurt I’ve caused Auston or his family. That’s the last thing I’d ever want. I’m not that kind of person.

“I hold my hands up and I’ve learned my lesson. I genuinely wish Auston and his family all the very best.”

Martin’s comments came before Frank’s second statement with the question being posed to him at the earlier press conference on Wednesday with the quotes being embargoed by the mainstream media until this evening.

We hope Frank has genuinely learned something for this and won’t be quick to judge anyone who is grieving the death of a family member or is simply struggling with their mental health.

We hope the Trusty family has not been affected by the comments.