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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be leading Celtic during this weekend's Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost seven days and currently looks set to wrap up a deal.

Martin O'Neill has served as temporary gaffer for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, securing six wins in seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who previously managed the club from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected the trip to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his return at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to oversee Celtic for the midweek league encounter against Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the person who will be arriving," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there's some formalities still to be completed. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should Celtic beat Dundee while the Jambos defeat Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to summit of the Premiership with a victory during his debut game as manager.

"It's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and I wish him all the best. At the very least he's getting a side with a bit of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of the interim manager's results during games over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad were then able to secure their first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections on his time as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts on if he desires to continue managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a wee think about things after Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he added. "There was a fear of failure – which is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in many ways, dealing with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my input on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It becomes his squad the moment he steps into the role."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be stupid."