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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership match versus Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently looks set to complete a contract.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, securing six wins in seven matches, cutting into Hearts' lead in the league table and guiding the club to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of the club between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he thought the visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his second spell in charge.

However, the interim boss disclosed he will lead Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter with Dens Park prior to Nancy takes over.

"He's the individual set to be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, however there remains paperwork still to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I took the role? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat their opponents while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could lead his new club to summit of the table if they win in his debut game in charge.

"That's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him all the best. At the very least he takes over a team with some confidence."

That confidence comes from the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad were then able to claim a first away win in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost by them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We have given ourselves a chance, with three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he desires to carry on in management in the future.

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I will have a little think on everything after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do this job just as poorly as many other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches working with me and it has served as a refresh personally in many ways, working with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my input on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the moment he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be ridiculous."