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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout for this weekend's Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of serious talks with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and now looks set to wrap up a deal.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six wins in seven games, reducing the lead at the top of the league table while also steering the team to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who once coached the club between 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's trip to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game of his return in charge.

However, O'Neill revealed he is to manage the team for the midweek Premiership match with Dens Park before Nancy assumes control.

"He's the man who will be arriving," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I believed it was over on Sunday, however there's some formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been surreal," he added. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Without a doubt."

Should Celtic beat their opponents while Hearts overcome Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could lead Celtic to the top of the table with a victory in his first match as manager.

"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 inherits a team with a bit of confidence."

This self-belief stems from the positive run in matches in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side in the Europa League.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was fantastic. We have given ourselves a chance, there are three games left to attempt qualification, but that victory in Rotterdam was key for belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts on if he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a moment to reflect on everything after Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt the fear of failing – that is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration for me in many ways, dealing with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my advice on matters, that's fine. If not, that is okay either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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