🔗 Share this article

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership match against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost seven days and currently appears ready to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than a month ever since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six wins out of seven matches, cutting into Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he expected the visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game in his second stint in charge.

But, O'Neill revealed he will oversee Celtic in the midweek league encounter with Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He's the individual who will be taking over," O'Neill told the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, however there's some paperwork still to be sorted. Wednesday will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been unreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I took the role? Without a doubt."

If Celtic beat Dundee and the Jambos see off Killie in midweek, Nancy could guide his new club to summit of the table if they win during his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a decent start for him against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course but good luck to him. At the very least he inherits a side full of self-belief."

The team's morale comes from the interim manager's results during games over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Irish national team boss and his players then bounced back to secure a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was terrific. We've given ourselves an opportunity, there are three matches left to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections on his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts about whether he desires to continue managing in the future.

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I will have a moment to reflect about things after Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – that is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some excellent young coaches working with me and it has served as a new lease on life for me in many ways, working with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

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

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his team the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be silly."