NEW BLOOD CRITICAL NOW

O'Neill warns Hoops chiefs he urgently needs reinforcements

- BY FRASER WILSON

MARTIN O'NEILL warned Celtic chiefs they could still be in serious trouble without new signingseven after the Hoops got their title charge back on track.

Goals from Hjun-jun Yang, Arne Engels, Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda secured a thumping 4-0 win over Dundee United and a spectacular third coming at Celtic Park for the Northern Irishman.

It moves Celtic back above Rangers and within three points of leaders Hearts - both of whom play today - as they put Wilfried Nancy's horror 33-day reign firmly in the past. But O'Neill (right) won't stand for any dallying in the January market ahead of a packed schedule.

A move to bring Kyogo Furuhashi back to Glasgow from Birmingham was rejected last week and a new striker remains a priority.

And O'Neill said: "I am hopeful that we are going to get some people in.

"But just when you think that something might happen, things change around. It's not me filibustering. It's just me feeling that until they're over the line, I can't say that it's happened.

"We obviously need to do it, even just to give help to the boys just now.