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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during this weekend's Scottish Premiership match versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in serious talks with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently seems poised to finalize a deal.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than a month ever since the previous manager resigned, achieving six wins in seven games, reducing the lead at the top of the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he believed Sunday's trip to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game in his return in charge.

However, the interim boss disclosed he will lead the team for the midweek league encounter against Dens Park prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the individual set to be arriving," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I believed my time was up on Sunday, but there remains paperwork still to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been surreal," he added. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts see off Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the table with a victory in his first match as manager.

"That's a decent start for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and good luck to him. At the very least he inherits a side full of confidence."

That confidence is a result of the positive run during games over the past five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and win away from home was excellent. We've given the team a chance, with three matches remaining to attempt qualification, but that Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue in management going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a little think about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he added. "I felt the fear of failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned much. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a refresh personally in several respects, interacting with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the job."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional once the full-time whistle blew in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be ridiculous."