Celtic manager Martin O'Neill believes the club can use their UEFA Cup run as a springboard for Champions League success next year.

Celtic missed out on their first European trophy since 1967 when they lost 3-2 to Porto in Seville last week. The Parkhead side must now negotiate two qualifying rounds to enter the lucrative group stages of the Champions League. But O'Neill insists the thrilling run, which included defeats of Blackburn, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool, has put Celtic back among the big players in European competition.

He said: "The efforts have reawakened Celtic and have invoked a great interest in the club. In terms of Europe, we have been dormant for so long and it was satisfying to make Celtic a positive name in European football once again.

"The machine is cranking up again and hopefully we can go on to build on this experience. We have two qualifying games to get into the Champions League and that will be our immediate concern when we start back at pre-season training."

But O'Neill maintains he and the players will still need time to digest the events of a season in which they missed out on the UEFA Cup and a third successive league title at the last hurdle.

"It is obviously still hurting and the disappointment will hang over us for some weeks," he said before adding: "It has been a glorious season and I wouldn't have swapped the UEFA Cup run for anything."