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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost seven days and currently looks set to finalize an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, achieving six wins out of seven matches, reducing the lead at the top in the league table and guiding the team to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already said he expected the visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his second stint at the helm.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he will manage Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter with Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He is the person who will be arriving," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, however there remains paperwork yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will definitely be my last match."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I took the role? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee while the Jambos overcome Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership if they win in his debut game in charge.

"It's a nice one for Nancy versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of the positive run during games in the last five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat at Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first away win in Europe since 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they defeated Forest, making it a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We have given ourselves an opportunity, with three matches left to attempt qualification, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his thoughts on his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration about whether he would like to continue managing in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in many ways, interacting with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Ireland boss says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given full autonomy. If he wants my opinion on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be silly."