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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Premiership match against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost a week and now seems poised to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six victories in seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he believed the visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he will oversee the team for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual set to be arriving," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought my time was up on Sunday, but there remains paperwork still to be completed. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy that I took the role? Most certainly."

If Celtic beat their opponents while Hearts see off Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take his new club to the top of the table with a victory in his debut game as manager.

"That's a nice one for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and I wish him well. At the very least he's getting a side with some confidence."

The team's morale stems from the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat at the Danish side during European competition.

However, the former Irish manager and his players were then able to secure a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was excellent. We've given the team a chance, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to thoughts about whether he would like to continue managing in the future.

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

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a new lease on life personally in several respects, dealing with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my advice on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

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