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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be on the Celtic touchline during this weekend's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in serious talks with Glasgow club for almost seven days and now appears ready to complete a deal.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than a month since the previous manager departed, notching six victories out of seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top of the league table while also steering the team to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he thought Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his second spell in charge.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to oversee Celtic in the midweek league encounter with Dens Park before Nancy takes over.

"He's the person that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I thought it was over last weekend, but there's some formalities yet to be completed. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Absolutely."

If Celtic beat Dundee and Hearts defeat Killie in midweek, Nancy could lead Celtic to the top of the Premiership if they win in his first match in charge.

"That's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and good luck to him. At least he's getting a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief stems from the interim manager's results on the field over the past five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish manager along with his squad then bounced back to claim a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win on their patch was terrific. We've given the team a chance, with three matches remaining to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue managing going forward.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was apprehension about failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches working with me and it has served as a new lease on life for me in several respects, working with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is completely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my input on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

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