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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be on the Celtic touchline during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been part of serious talks with Parkhead side for nearly a week and now seems poised to wrap up an agreement.

O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers departed, achieving six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game in his second spell in charge.

However, O'Neill revealed he will oversee the team in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dens Park before Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person that will be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, however there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops beat their opponents and Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could lead Celtic to summit of the table with a victory in his opening fixture as manager.

"It's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game naturally and good luck to him. At the very least he inherits a team with some self-belief."

That confidence is a result of O'Neill's success on the field over the past month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side during European competition.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad were then able to secure a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a tough game – a few weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore belief."

What Comes Next

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

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do the job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned much. I have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a refresh personally in many ways, interacting with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my advice on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the moment he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be ridiculous."