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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in serious talks with Parkhead side for almost a week and now seems poised to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top of the league table and guiding the team to League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club between 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his return at the helm.

But, the interim boss disclosed he is to manage Celtic in the midweek Premiership match with Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He's the individual set to be taking over," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I believed my time was up last weekend, but there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will definitely be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Most certainly."

Should Celtic beat Dundee and Hearts defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide Celtic to summit of the table with a victory during his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a tough match naturally and good luck to him. At least he inherits a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of the positive run on the field over the past month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat at Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to achieve their first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three games remaining to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

What Comes Next

When asked for his reflections during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management going forward.

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

"It was not simple," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a big concern. I used to boast I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some great young coaches working with me and it's been a refresh personally in several respects, interacting with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

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