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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match versus Hearts.

The head coach has been part of advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost seven days and currently looks set to complete a deal.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, achieving six wins out of seven matches, cutting into the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the club to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected Sunday's visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game of his return at the helm.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he is to manage the team in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person that will be coming in," O'Neill told the radio station. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. Wednesday is certainly my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee and the Jambos overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could guide his new club to summit of the Premiership if they win during his first match in charge.

"It's a nice one for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At least he's getting a team with a bit of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of O'Neill's success on the field over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat at the Danish side during European competition.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad were then able to achieve their first victory on the road on the continent since way back in 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a difficult match – a couple of weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was excellent. We've given ourselves a chance, with three games remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration on if he would like to continue managing in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I will have a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "There was apprehension about failing – that is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some great coaching staff alongside me and it's been a refresh for me in several respects, dealing with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland manager says that is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem either. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the job."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

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