CELTIC have taken released defender Stanislav Varga on trial after being snubbed by Sunderland in an attempt to sign out of favour Emerson Thome.

Varga starts training with the Scottish giants this morning after manager Martin O'Neill handed the centre-back a week to impress.

Brazilian stopper Thome was O'Neill's first choice but the Bhoys chief was quoted a £100,000 asking price before Friday's transfer deadline for the £4.5m capture from Sheffield Wednesday.

Just last week Varga agreed a settlement with the Wearsiders to terminate his contract.

And now the towering Slovakian, who struggled to reproduce the form that saw him star on his Premiership debut against Arsenal in August 2000, has been handed a lifeline in Britain at Parkhead.

The 30-year-old, whose only three appearances for the Black Cats this season came in cup competitions, has joined Croatian World Cup star Milan Rapaic for the remainder of the week.

Celtic boss O'Neill, a self-confessed Sunderland fan, said: "There is a long way to go, but we will have a look at them and they can have a look at us.

"Both players have plenty of experience and a great pedigree. Varga hasn't had the happiest time at Sunderland recently but when he first arrived there he looked like a really good player.

"Both players will train with us for the rest of this week and we will hopefully take things from there."

Should O'Neill opt to sign Varga permanently then as he is unattached he is free to move clubs, despite the closure of the transfer window last Friday.

Varga, who witnessed Sunderland's embarrassing 3-1 defeat at home to Charlton on Saturday, is the first of three players expected to leave the Stadium of Light over the next couple of weeks.

Sunderland chairman Bob Murray has revealed he is currently in negotiations with two other players in a bid to terminate their contracts and trim the wage bill.

Murray has not named the players concerned, he would only say that one would leave this week and another next week. Sunderland are understood to have the seventh highest wage bill in the top-flight and it is likely that a couple of the names on the transfer list are those more likely to be on the move.

Lilian Laslandes, Bernt Haas, Baki Mercimek, Jurgen Macho and Jon Kennedy are those who are thought to be in the frame.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kilbane has been named in new Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr's first squad. The Sunderland midfielder, who is suspended for this Saturday's Premiership clash at Tottenham, is in line to play some part in the friendly with Scotland on February 12 at Hampden Park.

Sunderland teammate Jason McAteer is ruled out through injury, while Cliffy Byrne, Sean Thornton and Thomas Butler are in the Under-21 squad to face the Scots a night earlier at Kilmarnock.