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

The head coach has been engaged in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost a week and now looks set to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has served as interim boss for over a month since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six victories out of seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he thought the visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act in his second stint at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to lead Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter with Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual who will be taking over," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I thought my time was up on Sunday, however there remains formalities yet to be completed. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," he added. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Without a doubt."

If Celtic beat Dundee while the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide his new club to summit of the table with a victory during his opening fixture in charge.

"That's a nice one for Nancy versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him all the best. At the very least he takes over a team with a bit of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of O'Neill's success during games in the last five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the ex- Irish manager and his players were then able to achieve their first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win on their patch was fantastic. We have given the team a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

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

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I'll take a moment to reflect on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is always a big concern. I once joked I could do this job just as poorly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it has served as a reinvigoration personally in several respects, interacting with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my opinion on matters, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his team the minute he enters the job."

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

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."