O'Neill on trio of new deals, Johnston return & McGregor comments

Martin O'Neill has been speaking to the media before Celtic entertain Falkirk on Saturday evening.

Here are the key points:

• On Liam Scales' new contract, O'Neill says: "I'm delighted for him, delighted for the football club as well too. He's certainly proved himself this season, I don't know what he was like before I came in, but my two spells here, he's been absolutely outstanding. Certainly he's deserved the contract, he's done brilliantly."
• O'Neill says he encouraged the board to extend Scales' deal, and likewise for James Forrest, who also signed a contract extension this week, adding on the latter: "I think it was a no-brainer, really, he's had a big impact here in games."
• On Luke McCowan, who has also signed a new deal, O'Neill says: "He's done really well again for us. I think that, like anything else, he would like to start more games if he could, but he's been excellent."
• O'Neill insists Celtic are being "proactive" in handing out new contracts despite not having a permanent manager in place. He says: "I think that the new manager coming in, one; would accept that he would definitely want these players. Two; are they fit enough to do the job? Yes. Three; are they good enough to do the job? Absolutely."
• On his role in the club's summer recruitment, O'Neill says: "I haven't really involved myself. I look at the players, I have an opinion. But that's what I have, an opinion, and my opinion might differ from whoever else might come in."
• Full-back Alistair Johnston could return to the squad on Saturday, aiding Celtic in the problem area of right-back. "That's good news for us... we're getting stronger in that sense. Of course, we've missed the big players throughout the course of the year," says O'Neill.