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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of serious talks with Parkhead side for nearly a week and currently looks set to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six victories in seven games, reducing the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

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 stint in charge.

Yet, O'Neill stated he will oversee the team for the midweek Premiership match against Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the person that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, however there remains paperwork yet to be sorted. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It's been unreal," he added. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops defeat their opponents while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to summit of the table if they win in his first match in charge.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course but good luck to him. At the very least he's getting a team full of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of O'Neill's success in matches in the last five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish national team boss and his players subsequently managed to achieve a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks before they thrashed Forest, making it difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to consideration about whether he would like to carry on in management going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things after Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I once joked I could do this job just as poorly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it's been a refresh for me in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

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

"That is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be allowed his own space. If he wants my input on matters, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the job."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be stupid."