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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be on the Celtic touchline during this weekend's Premiership match against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been part of serious talks with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently appears ready to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, securing six wins out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the club to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club between 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he believed Sunday's trip to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act of his second spell in charge.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to oversee the team in Wednesday's league encounter against Dens Park before Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there remains formalities yet to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," he added. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Most certainly."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts defeat Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could guide his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his first match as manager.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him well. At least he inherits a side with a bit of confidence."

That confidence is a result of the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat away to Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish manager along with his squad subsequently managed to claim a first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to attempt qualification, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I'll take a wee think about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as many other gaffers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff working with me and it's been a new lease on life personally in many ways, interacting with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

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