O'Neill inspired by speculation

Celtic have completed the signing of Robert Douglas from Dundee for £1million with an additional £200,000 to follow based on appearances. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Parkhead in a move Martin O'Neill joked had been sparked by speculation.

Celtic have completed the signing of Robert Douglas from Dundee for £1million with an additional £200,000 to follow based on appearances. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Parkhead in a move Martin O'Neill joked had been sparked by speculation.

"Naturally I'm delighted that Robert has signed for us and in time he will prove to be a great acquisition for the football club," the Celtic manager said.

"I've watched him a number of times now when it was brought to my attention that we were interested in him and I felt we should follow it up.

"In the games I've seen him play, he has never let anyone down and he is very imposing. He has had a great couple of years at Dundee and from a distance it looked as if he had a great attitude as well. From my conversations with him, he really wanted to have a go."

O'Neill insisted that the goalkeeper's position was still up for grabs despite the signing. "Jonathan Gould has done exceptionally well. Dmitri Kharine has still some way to go before being fully fit," he said.

"Like anything else I can use two goalkeepers at any given stage. There might be injuries but I suppose there will be a natural fall-out."

Celtic insist that they expect the defender Morten Wieghorst to make a full recovery despite his condition worsening slightly in hospital. They say that deterioration is expected in the illness he is suffering.

The Danish international was rushed to Glasgow's Southern Hospital earlier this month after developing Guillain-Barre syndrome which affects the brain nerve endings

"There has been a slight deterioration in Morten's condition over the last few days," a club spokesman said. "There is now more intensive monitoring of his condition being undertaken and he, at present, requires some intermittent ventilatory support.

"It must be stressed that, within the context of Morten's condition, it is not unexpected for this to be required. We would still anticipate Morten making a good recovery - although this may take some time."

Originally Celtic were quick to ease fears that he had contracted meningitis but it remains uncertain how long the disease will keep him out of the game.

Wieghorst had been battling back to fitness after five months out with a knee injury. The midfielder was an integral part of Celtic's championship-winning side in 1998 and earned a place in Denmark's World Cup squad that year.

But he suffered a cruciate knee injury which forced him to miss the last nine months of the 1998-99 season before coming back only to be injured again.

The former Celtic striker Darren Jackson was sidelined for three months in 1998 after undergoing major surgery on the brain condition hydrocephalus.