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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be leading Celtic during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been part of serious talks with Parkhead side for almost seven days and currently appears ready to complete a deal.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, achieving six victories in seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the team to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he expected the visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second stint in charge.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he is to lead the team for the midweek league encounter with Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the person set to be coming in," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I thought it was over on Sunday, however there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part of your life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Without a doubt."

If Celtic beat Dundee while Hearts see off Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to summit of the table with a victory in his first match as manager.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game naturally but good luck to him. At the very least he inherits a side with some self-belief."

The team's morale comes from O'Neill's success in matches in the last month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to secure their first victory on the road on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and win away from home was terrific. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his reflections on his time as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue managing going forward.

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

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – which is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned much. I have had some great coaching staff alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in many ways, working with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland manager says that is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on matters, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the minute he steps into the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be ridiculous."