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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

The head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost a week and now seems poised to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over four weeks since the previous manager resigned, securing six victories in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had already said he thought the visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his second stint at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He's the person that will be arriving," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter in one's life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Without a doubt."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee and Hearts defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could lead Celtic to summit of the table if they win during his first match in charge.

"It's a nice one for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

The team's morale comes from O'Neill's success on the field in the last five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat at Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and win away from home was excellent. We've given the team an opportunity, with three matches left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he desires to continue managing going forward.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I will have a moment to reflect on everything after Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was apprehension about failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I once joked I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches working with me and it's been a refresh for me in several respects, working with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss says that is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that's fine. If not, that is okay at all. It's very much his squad the minute he steps into the breach."

Presenter the interviewer concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be ridiculous."