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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Premiership match versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in advanced negotiations with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now appears ready to wrap up a deal.

O'Neill has served as temporary gaffer for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six victories in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his second spell at the helm.

However, O'Neill stated he will lead Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter against Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the man set to be coming in," O'Neill told the radio station. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, but there's some formalities still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"This has been unreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Most certainly."

Should Celtic beat their opponents and the Jambos see off Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to summit of the table if they win in his first match as manager.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a side with a bit of confidence."

That confidence stems from O'Neill's success during games in the last five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side during European competition.

However, the former Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to secure a first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to De Kuip and win on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, with three games left to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he desires to carry on in management going forward.

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a moment to reflect on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I once joked I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some excellent young coaches working with me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in several respects, dealing with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be allowed his own space. Should he desire my advice on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the moment he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill if he would be emotional when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

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