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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be leading Celtic during this weekend's Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for nearly seven days and now seems poised to wrap up a deal.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for over four weeks since the previous manager resigned, notching six wins out of seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act in his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to lead the team for Wednesday's league encounter with Dundee before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man that will be taking over," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there remains paperwork yet to be dealt with. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"It has been surreal," he added. "It resembles a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee and Hearts defeat Killie in midweek, Nancy could guide Celtic to the top of the table with a victory in his first match as manager.

"It's a nice one for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him all the best. At the very least he's getting a side full of self-belief."

That confidence stems from the interim manager's results during games in the last month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a little think on everything after Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – which is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in several respects, working with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for Nancy to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my input on matters, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his squad the minute he enters the breach."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be stupid."