Mark Burchill: Slipping further down the pecking order (Clive Brunskill/Allsport)

Burchill turned down a proposed £1.5million transfer to Birmingham City just before Christmas after the English First Division outfit failed to settle personal terms.

But any thoughts the 20-year-old Scotland international might have had about quickly regaining a first-team squad place at Parkhead have so far been dashed by O'Neill.

Burchill didn't feature in the last four SPL matches, with Jamie Smith preferred as a substitute, and was last week told that he would not be included for Florida even though Celtic will take up to 23 players across the Atlantic.

The youngster has now gone on holiday and must attempt to pick up the threads of his career later this month although O'Neill is understood to be prepared to play him against Norwich at Carrow Road in a testimonial match on January 22.

Meanwhile, O'Neill's more pressing concern - bringing the SPL title to Celtic Park - received a boost last night with the news that Henrik Larsson and Johan Mjallby have been granted an international sabbatical by Sweden.

The Parkhead pair have been omitted from an experienced Swedish squad for the four-nation King's Cup tournament in Thailand next month.

They also have been allowed to miss two specially-arranged indoor friendly internationals, against the Faroe Islands and Finland, on January 31 and February 1.

Larsson and Mjallby have both played pivotal roles as O'Neill has led Celtic to a nine-point lead over Hibernian at the winter break.

Larsson has scored 32 goals thus far, while countryman Mjallby has been awarded the team captaincy for the last four games - all of which have been won.

The agreement of Sweden coach Tommy Soderberg to omit the pair from the imminent internationals will allow them maximum preparation for next month's league and cup double-header with Rangers.

And it also acts to hand Celtic a significant advantage over championship rivals Hibs and Rangers who - as Soccernet revealed earlier this week - are set to lose Russell Latapy and Claudio Reyna respectively on international duty this spring.

In a separate development, Celtic's third Scandinavian, the versatile Vidar Riseth, is poised to complete a permanent transfer to German club 1860 Munich.

The Norwegian international has been on loan to the Bundesliga side since last autumn, and yesterday revealed 1860 want him to stay on a full-time basis.

'I have heard that the club is interested in buying me and I am very pleased that they are satisfied with the job I've done,' said Riseth.

'I am supposed to go back to Scotland but, if the two clubs decide to enter negotiations, it is Erik Soler (Riseth's agent) who will handle that. I must focus on what happens on the pitch.

'The German League is better than the Scottish Premier League. To be honest, you really can't find bad teams in the Bundesliga and all the matches are of high quality.

'This has happened so quickly that I have not been able to think about it, but it I am very pleased that Munich are pleased with me.'

The 28-year-old, who still has two years left on his contract with Celtic, made only five appearances under O'Neill before moving to Germany in November.

Former Parkhead striker Simon Donnelly, meanwhile could make a dramatic return to the Sheffield Wednesday first team next month after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

The ten-times capped Scotland international signed on a Bosman free transfer in July 1999 but was unable to prevent the Hillsborough side's slide out of the Premiership.

Donnelly's latest injury, knee ligament damage, has kept him out of action for most of the season as his team-mates have battled for their Nationwide Division One survival, but he is in line for a long-awaited return.