Martin O'Neill has heaped praised on the Celtic players he will lead for the last time on Wednesday as the interim manager prepares to bid farewell.
The 73-year-old will make way for Wilfried Nancy after the home game against Dundee and is hoping to make it seven wins from eight games in charge.
With a 100% record in the league, O'Neill has helped narrow the gap on Premiership leaders Hearts from eight points to two, while there was a League Cup semi-final success against Rangers and a win away to Feyenoord in the Europa League.
The only blemish came with defeat to Midtjylland in the same competition.
"I just think the nice thing about the players is that they have responded," said O'Neill. "They've shown a willingness to try and implement some of the things that I think are important about the game.
"They've been great and I couldn't praise them highly enough. There's one more game for me. They've got big, big matches ahead.
"When I was watching Celtic from afar, you can form an opinion about players and then find out that when you're actually working with them, that's different, either good or bad.
"For instance, I thought from afar that the captain [Callum McGregor] was a really good player. I didn't realise how good he is.
"Some players who have played almost every single minute of games have been absolutely outstanding.
"And then you're getting to know some players. And I said to some of the lads, I mean [Michel-Ange] Balikwisha hasn't played under me. The next manager will step in, play him and find out he could be the best - and I've made that point to him.
"And that's for all of them. The incoming manager will have maybe a different opinion on some players than I would have. That does not mean I'm right."
O'Neill, who previously managed the club between 2000 and 2005, had expected to leave after Sunday's 2-1 win at Hibs but is staying on due to a slight delay in the appointment of Columbus Crew boss Nancy.
"You will be relieved to know that this is definitely it," he joked at his media conference. "I've been assured of that by the board.
"A young gentleman's coming in and it's over to him.
"That was the remit. Whether I was going to last two weeks or five or six weeks, that was always going to be the case. I've got no complaints at all."
Both of Arne Engels goals this season have come since Brendan Rodgers resigned in late October and the Belgium midfielder said O'Neill "deserves an amazing goodbye", adding: "It's up to us to make it an enjoyable night for him."
Engels spoke admiringly of the veteran's "relaxed way of handling things", although he insisted belief within the squad had not wavered.
"We knew if we played our game we would come back into the title race," he said.
"[O'Neill] has not changed a lot but changed the atmosphere and structure. You can see everybody knows what to do and everybody enjoys being here. I can only speak highly of him."
Nancy is due to start his reign with games against Hearts, Roma and a League Cup final with St Mirren, with Engels saying it was the "perfect time" for a new manager to get started.
