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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be in the Celtic dugout for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been part of serious talks with Glasgow club for almost seven days and currently appears ready to wrap up an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, achieving six wins in seven matches, reducing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second spell in charge.

However, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in the midweek Premiership match with Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He is the man who will be arriving," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I assumed it was over on Sunday, but there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"It's been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

If Celtic beat their opponents while Hearts defeat Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his first match in charge.

"It's a decent start for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and good luck to him. At least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

The team's morale comes from O'Neill's success during games in the last five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side in the Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish manager and his players subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a few weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was excellent. We have given ourselves a chance, with three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was key for belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration about whether he would like to carry on managing in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I will have a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "There was a fear of failure – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

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

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding if he might remain with the club as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland boss stated this is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his squad the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be ridiculous."