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

The manager has been engaged in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for nearly a week and now seems poised to complete a contract.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for over a month since Brendan Rodgers departed, notching six wins out of seven games, narrowing the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he believed the match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game of his return at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to oversee Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter against Dens Park prior to Nancy takes over.

"He is the person who will be coming in," O'Neill told the radio station. "I believed it was over last weekend, however there's some formalities yet to be sorted. Wednesday will assuredly be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Without a doubt."

If Celtic defeat their opponents and Hearts defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to summit of the table with a victory in 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 difficult game of course and good luck to him. At least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence is a result of the positive run in matches in the last five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad then bounced back to achieve their first away win on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was excellent. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

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

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

"It was not simple," he added. "There was a fear of failure – which is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in many ways, interacting with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Villa and Ireland manager says that is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That is really for Nancy to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my input on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his team the moment he steps into the role."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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