Celtic confirm John Kennedy departure plus three others as Martin O'Neill's full coaching team revealed

Kennedy, 42, had been serving as assistant manager to Brendan Rodgers, who sensationally resigned from his position on Monday following a breakdown in his relationship with the board of directors.

Also confirmed as leaving the club are coaches Adam Sadler and Jack Lyons, along with head of performance Glen Driscoll.

Kennedy, a former defender, joined Celtic as a teenager in 1999 and made his first-team debut the following year before suffering a serious knee injury on Scotland duty which curtailed his playing career. He made 49 appearances for the club before retiring in 2009 at the age of 26 on medical grounds.

Kennedy remained employed by Celtic as a first-team scout before taking up a coaching role in the youth academy. He was promoted to first-team coach under Ronny Deila in 2014 and served under Rodgers during his first spell in charge.

He was promoted to assistant boss when Neil Lennon replaced Rodgers in February 2019 and became interim manager in February 2022 following Lennon's departure. He continued to serve as assistant manager under Ange Postecoglou and retained the role when Rodgers returned as manager for a second time in the summer of 2023.

A club statement read: "Celtic Football Club can confirm today that Assistant Manager John Kennedy, coaches Adam Sadler and Jack Lyons, and Head of Performance Glen Driscoll have left the Club with immediate effect.

"We thank each of them for their contribution to Celtic and we wish them all well for the future."

Seven-man interim coaching team confirmed

Celtic have also confirmed the full make-up of O'Neill's interim backroom staff with Stephen McManus and Mark Fotheringham joining Shaun Maloney as part of the first-team coaching set-up.

McManus makes the step up from his role as B team head coach while former Celtic player Fotheringham returns to the club following coaching spells with Hertha Berlin and Swansea, and a brief stint as Huddersfield Town manager.

The club statement added: "We are pleased to welcome former Celtic Captain Stephen McManus and former Celtic player Mark Fotheringham into our first team coaching set-up, where they will join Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney on an interim basis, alongside coaches Stephen Woods, Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace.”