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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be leading Celtic for this weekend's Premiership clash against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for almost a week and currently seems poised to wrap up a contract.

O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for over a month since the previous manager resigned, achieving six victories out of seven games, narrowing Hearts' lead in the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he expected the match at Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act of his second spell at the helm.

But, the interim boss disclosed he will manage the team in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee before Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual who will be coming in," O'Neill told the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there's some paperwork still to be dealt with. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part in one's life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

If the Hoops defeat Dundee and Hearts see off Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to summit of the table if they win during his debut game as manager.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It will be a tough match naturally and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team full of confidence."

This self-belief is a result of the positive run during games over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one defeat away to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to secure their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a difficult match – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was terrific. We've given ourselves a chance, with three games remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to continue managing going forward.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a little think about things after Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration for me in several respects, dealing with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland manager says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be allowed his own space. If he wants my opinion on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It becomes his team the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be stupid."