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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be leading Celtic for this weekend's Scottish Premiership clash versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in serious talks with the Parkhead side for nearly a week and now seems poised to wrap up a deal.

Martin O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over a month ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, achieving six victories out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead of the league table while also steering the club to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected the trip to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second spell in charge.

But, O'Neill stated he is to manage the team in Wednesday's league encounter against Dundee prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man that will be taking over," O'Neill told the radio station. "I thought it was over last weekend, however there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic beat their opponents while Hearts defeat Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could lead his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his debut game as manager.

"It's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a tough match naturally and I wish him well. At least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief comes from the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat at Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish manager along with his squad were then able to achieve a first victory on the road on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a few weeks earlier they thrashed Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to De Kuip and win on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team a chance, with three matches left to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts on his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts on if he desires to carry on managing in the future.

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a wee think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – that is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration personally in many ways, working with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given full autonomy. If he wants my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he enters the role."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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