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

The head coach has been involved in detailed discussions with Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently seems poised to complete an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, achieving six victories in seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he believed Sunday's match at Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he will oversee the team for Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee prior to Nancy takes over.

"He's the man who will be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I believed my time was up last weekend, however there remains formalities yet to be sorted. Wednesday is certainly my final game."

An Unusual Period

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

Should the Hoops beat their opponents while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his debut game in charge.

"That's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him well. At least he inherits a team with some confidence."

That confidence comes from the positive run on the field over the past month or so, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish manager along with his squad then bounced back to achieve a first away win on the continent since 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was fantastic. We have given ourselves a chance, with three games remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was key for belief."

Future Ambitions

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

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I'll take a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "There was apprehension about failing – which is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some excellent young coaches working with me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Villa and Ireland boss stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given full autonomy. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay either. It's very much his squad the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

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