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

The head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and currently looks set to wrap up an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for over a month since the previous manager stepped down, notching six wins out of seven games, narrowing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to a League Cup final spot.

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

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to lead Celtic in Wednesday's Premiership match against Dundee before Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He is the man who will be arriving," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, but there remains formalities yet to be completed. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been surreal," he added. "It resembles a part in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops beat Dundee while Hearts overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his first match in charge.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture naturally but good luck to him. At least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

The team's morale is a result of the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the ex- Irish manager and his players then bounced back to claim their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, there are three games left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his thoughts on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts on if he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was a fear of failure – that is always a big concern. I once joked I could do this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, working with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be allowed his own space. Should he desire my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be silly."