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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be leading Celtic for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in serious talks with the Parkhead side for almost a week and currently appears ready to complete a contract.

O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six victories out of seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the club to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he thought Sunday's match at Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his second stint in charge.

However, the interim boss disclosed he is to manage Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter with Dundee before Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual that will be arriving," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed it was over on Sunday, but there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will definitely be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Without a doubt."

If Celtic defeat Dundee and the Jambos see off Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a good fixture for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course and good luck to him. At the very least he takes over a team full of self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of O'Neill's success on the field in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad were then able to claim their first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was fantastic. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three matches left to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was key for confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his reflections during his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to carry on managing going forward.

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

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

"I've learned much. I've got some great coaching staff working with me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my advice on matters, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his squad the moment he steps into the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional once the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be ridiculous."