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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and now looks set to complete a contract.

O'Neill has held the role of interim boss for more than a month ever since the previous manager stepped down, notching six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the club to League Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought Sunday's visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his second stint in charge.

Yet, O'Neill stated he will oversee Celtic in the midweek Premiership match against Dundee before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He's the person that will be arriving," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I believed it was over on Sunday, but there remains paperwork still to be dealt with. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If the Hoops defeat their opponents while Hearts see off Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take his new club to summit of the Premiership with a victory during his debut game as manager.

"That's a good fixture for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him well. At least he inherits a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief stems from O'Neill's success on the field in the last five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish national team boss and his players were then able to claim a first away win on the continent since 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to consideration about whether he would like to continue in management in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a little think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – that is always a major worry. I once joked I could do the job just as poorly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a refresh personally in many ways, dealing with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on matters, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the role."

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

"Do you mean am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be silly."