Wilfried Nancy Will Take Charge for the Glasgow Giants This Week - O'Neill

According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in serious talks with Parkhead side for almost seven days and now appears ready to finalize a deal.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six wins out of seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the league table while also steering the Parkhead outfit to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he thought Sunday's visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game of his second stint at the helm.

But, the interim boss disclosed he is to oversee the team in the midweek Premiership match with Dens Park before Nancy takes over.

"He's the individual who will be arriving," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed it was over last weekend, but there's some paperwork yet to be sorted. Wednesday will assuredly be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops beat their opponents and the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, the incoming boss could guide his new club to summit of the Premiership if they win during his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him all the best. At the very least he's getting a team with some confidence."

The team's morale comes from the positive run in matches over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a three-one loss at Midtjylland during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to achieve their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was terrific. We have given ourselves an opportunity, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a little think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he added. "There was a fear of failure – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in many ways, working with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my input on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

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