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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be leading Celtic during this weekend's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been involved in detailed discussions with Parkhead side for nearly a week and now looks set to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of temporary gaffer for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, achieving six wins out of seven matches, cutting into the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he believed the trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game in his second stint at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he will lead the team for Wednesday's league encounter against Dens Park before Nancy takes over.

"He is the person who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I believed my time was up on Sunday, however there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

An Unusual Period

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while the Jambos see off Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership if they win during his opening fixture in charge.

"That's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him all the best. At least he inherits a side full of confidence."

The team's morale comes from O'Neill's success on the field over the past month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager and his players were then able to secure a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill said. "That was a difficult match – a couple of weeks before they defeated Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch 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 belief."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his reflections during his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration on if he desires to continue in management in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he added. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast I could do the job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent young coaches working with me and it's been a new lease on life for me in several respects, dealing with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the role."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle blew in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be stupid."