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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been engaged in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost a week and currently appears ready to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over a month ever since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to a League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who previously managed the club between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought Sunday's match at Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game in his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill stated he will oversee Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter with Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He's the individual who will be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there's some paperwork still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Without a doubt."

Should the Hoops defeat their opponents while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could lead Celtic to summit of the Premiership with a victory during his first match as manager.

"That's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game naturally but good luck to him. At the very least he's getting a side full of self-belief."

That confidence stems from the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad subsequently managed to achieve a first away win on the continent since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Forest, making it difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was key for belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts on if he desires to continue in management in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was a fear of failure – which is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as many other gaffers."

"I've learned much. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a refresh personally in many ways, working with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be allowed his own space. Should he desire my advice on matters, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay either. It becomes his team the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be silly."