Larsson is staying put - O'Neill

Martin O’Neill has declared Henrik Larsson will not be going anywhere if Celtic are sent crashing out of the Champions League by Lyon tonight.

The former Swedish international will be looking to exorcise the ghost of October 22, 1999 when he broke his leg in the Stade Municipal de Gerland.

But four years on, it has been suggested that Celtic could cash in on him during the winter if they fail to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Larsson is expected to quit Parkhead when his contract expires in the summer, but Manchester United were said to be lining up a transfer window move for the prolific striker while other top clubs are certain to be monitoring the situation.

O’Neill, however, wants him to spearhead their Bank of Scotland Premier League championship campaign and secure a return to the Champions League if they fail tonight.

“I don’t think there is any point in selling him,” insisted the Celtic manager.

“Henrik is here to the end of the season and that won’t change regardless of the result against Lyon.

“We still have the league to get through and if we win it that means we automatically get into the Champions League, so that is a big incentive in itself.

“If this competition is the Holy Grail in football then the first thing is we don’t want to give it up and the second thing is we want to achieve it again next season and get to this level again.”

O’Neill wants his side to make the next step to win games without playing well, but admits it might take them five years to do so.

That is a quality which Europe’s best sides have mastered, but O’Neill insists it will come to Celtic eventually.

“We have not learned yet how to play poorly and win games or get a result,” added O’Neill.

“Only the best sides do that where they have a bad spell for 15 minutes and actually come through it to get a goal.

“We might not really reach that level for five years, but we keep improving every year.

“Manchester United have been at this game for quite a while and quarter-finals are old hat to them and others. But it’s not for us – we have never been there before.”

O’Neill is also confident defeat tonight would not kill their season and affect their relentless charge towards the SPL title.

The Celtic manager believes his stars will rise from any fall and continue to be a force in European football.

“Whether this game will affect how the season’s shaping is another matter,” added O’Neill.

“I don’t think it will definitely kill us off in terms of the season. It will just give us a spur to go on and be successful, but this is the level we really want to be at.”

The impatient Lyon fans could work to Celtic’s favour tonight if they continue to get on the backs of the players.

They have been at war with the likes of Giovane Elber before Friday’s win over Metz, but O’Neill does not expect any favours from them tonight.

“I think every supporter in the world can be fickle at times,” he concluded. “But Lyon still have everything to play for and I believe the crowd will stay with them to the end.”