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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline during this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost a week and now looks set to complete a deal.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for over a month since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six wins in seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to a League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act in his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he will lead the team for the midweek league encounter against Dundee before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the person who will be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I thought it was over on Sunday, however there's some paperwork yet to be completed. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Absolutely."

If Celtic defeat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win in his first match in charge.

"That's a good fixture for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a tough match of course but good luck to him. At least he's getting a side full of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of the interim manager's results in matches in the last month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat at Midtjylland in the Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad were then able to claim a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and win on their patch was excellent. We've given ourselves an opportunity, with three games left to attempt qualification, but that Feyenoord game helped restore belief."

What Comes Next

When asked for his thoughts during his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I'll take a wee think about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – that is always a big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some great young coaches alongside me and it has served as a reinvigoration for me in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland boss says that is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay at all. It becomes his team the moment he enters the role."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

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