NO REST FOR THE HOOPS

RONNY DEILA will show his ruthless side by refusing to allow any of his players to take time off – even if Celtic wrap up the SPFL title with weeks to spare.

The Parkhead side are aiming for a domestic treble and the Norwegian will keep his men fully focused right until the end of the campaign. And the start of the next one.

If the Hoops overcome Inverness Caley Thistle later this month, they will ensure a place in the Scottish Cup Final which is due at Hampden at the end of next month.

A significant number of his squad will then go on international duty for World Cup qualifiers and it will mean practically no rest in the summer before the Champions League qualifiers.

When asked if key players would be given dispensation for time off, Deila answered: “Everybody is going to be here.

“Hopefully, we are going to win the treble and that is the main target.

“Our dream and hope is to get to the Scottish Cup Final and win it. If we do that, then we will be playing our last game of this season on May 30.

“After the Cup Final, the players will get three weeks’ holiday. If they are playing internationals in June, they will get one week more. So, players such as Scott Brown and Stefan Johansen would come back on July 1.

“In three weeks, you can’t ruin too much. It is just positive for their bodies to rest. They know what is coming when they return to training.”

Deila added: “We want to win the league as soon as possible. The games coming up now are important games, but we have good momentum now.

“We play good football, we train well, there is good harmony in the squad. I am comfortable we are going to keep performing well.

“The Champions League is so important. We want to win the league and get into the Champions League group stage. That is another target.”