🔗 Share this article

As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently seems poised to wrap up an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, notching six wins in seven games, narrowing the lead at the top of the league table and guiding the team to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of the club between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he thought the trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his return at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he will manage Celtic in the midweek league encounter with Dens Park prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He is the individual set to be arriving," O'Neill told the radio station. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there's some formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a part in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Without a doubt."

If Celtic beat their opponents and Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could lead Celtic to summit of the table with a victory during his first match as manager.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It is going to be a tough match naturally but I wish him all the best. At the very least he takes over a side with a bit of self-belief."

This self-belief stems from the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side in the Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players were then able to secure their first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We have given ourselves an opportunity, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration on if he would like to continue managing in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I will have a little think on everything after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "I felt a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I once joked I could do the job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned much. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a refresh for me in many ways, working with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."