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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for nearly a week and now seems poised to complete an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than a month since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six victories in seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's trip to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second spell at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he will manage Celtic for Wednesday's Premiership match with Dens Park before Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man set to be arriving," O'Neill told the radio station. "I believed my time was up last weekend, however there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my final game."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I took the role? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops defeat their opponents while the Jambos overcome Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could guide his new club to the top of the Premiership if they win in his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him all the best. At the very least he's getting a team full of self-belief."

That confidence stems from the positive run during games in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side in the Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players then bounced back to secure their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a difficult match – a few weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was terrific. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three games left to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

What Comes Next

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

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I once joked 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 personally in many ways, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his team the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be ridiculous."