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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in detailed discussions with the Parkhead side for almost a week and currently seems poised to finalize a contract.

O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over a month ever since the previous manager resigned, securing six wins out of seven games, narrowing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the club to League Cup place in the final.

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

But, O'Neill stated he is to oversee Celtic in the midweek Premiership match with Dens Park before Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person who will be arriving," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, however there's some formalities still to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat their opponents and Hearts overcome Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to the top of the table with a victory during his debut game as manager.

"That's a nice one for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and good luck to him. At least he inherits a side full of confidence."

The team's morale stems from O'Neill's success during games over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players were then able to secure their first away win on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks before they mauled Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was excellent. We have given ourselves an opportunity, with three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

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

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I'll take a wee think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt the fear of failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast I could do this job just as poorly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a new lease on life for me in many ways, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland boss stated this is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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