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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be on the Celtic touchline during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in serious talks with the Parkhead side for nearly seven days and currently looks set to finalize a contract.

O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers departed, notching six victories out of seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had previously suggested he believed Sunday's trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game in his second stint in charge.

But, O'Neill stated he is to oversee Celtic in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual set to be arriving," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there's some formalities still to be completed. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops beat their opponents while Hearts see off Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his first match as manager.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a tough match of course but good luck to him. At least he inherits a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence comes from O'Neill's success in matches in the last month or so, a period where he lost only once – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish national team boss and his players subsequently managed to achieve a first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks earlier they thrashed Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, with three games remaining to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

Thoughts on the Future

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 honestly don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – which is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some great young coaches working with me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, dealing with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my advice on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem either. It becomes his squad the minute he steps into the role."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be silly."