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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline during this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of serious talks with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now seems poised to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has held the role of temporary gaffer for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six wins out of seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top of the league table while also steering the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he thought Sunday's visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his second spell at the helm.

But, the interim boss disclosed he is to lead the team in Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Nancy takes over.

"He's the person who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed it was over last weekend, but there remains paperwork yet to be completed. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should Celtic beat Dundee and Hearts defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with some confidence."

The team's morale is a result of the positive run on the field in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Irish national team boss and his players were then able to achieve their first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost by them," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a few weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was terrific. We have given the team an opportunity, with three matches left to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was key for belief."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to carry on in management in the future.

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

"It was not simple," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it's been a new lease on life personally in several respects, working with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given full autonomy. Should he desire my advice on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It becomes his team the minute he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."