O'NEILL EXPLAINS ESCAPE ON EASYJET

MARTIN O'NEILL has revealed why he caught a flight to London immediately after the Premier Sports Cup semifinal - he had to pick up his passport for Celtic's Europa League trip to Denmark this week.

- GAVIN BERRY

O'Neill's shock appointment as interim boss was so out of the blue that he forgot to stick his travel documents in his suitcase when he headed north.

That meant the 73-year-old, above, had to return to the family home to ensure he can fly out with Celtic's squad for Thursday's tie against league phase leaders Midtjylland.

Pictures of O'Neill boarding an EasyJet flight just hours after Sunday's epic 3-1 win over Rangers at Hampden sparked confusion among fans.