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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in advanced negotiations with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now looks set to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for over a month since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six victories in seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the team to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who once coached the club from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected Sunday's trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his second stint at the helm.

However, the interim boss disclosed he will oversee the team for the midweek Premiership match against Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I believed my time was up last weekend, but there remains paperwork yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will definitely be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If the Hoops beat their opponents and Hearts see off Killie in midweek, Nancy could guide Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At least he inherits a team with some confidence."

The team's morale stems from O'Neill's success in matches over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to claim a first away win in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks before they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was excellent. We have given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration on if he desires to continue managing in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – which is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in several respects, interacting with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be allowed his own space. If he wants my input on matters, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is okay either. It's very much his squad the minute he steps into the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer concluded by asking if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be silly."