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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be leading Celtic during this weekend's Premiership match versus Hearts.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with Glasgow club for nearly a week and now seems poised to finalize a deal.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for over four weeks since Brendan Rodgers departed, securing six victories in seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a League Cup place in the final.

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

But, O'Neill revealed he will manage the team for the midweek league encounter against Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man that will be arriving," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there's some paperwork still to be dealt with. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter in one's life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat their opponents and the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory during his debut game as manager.

"That's a nice one for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture of course and good luck to him. At least he takes over a side with some self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of the interim manager's results on the field in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss away to Midtjylland during Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Irish manager and his players subsequently managed to claim a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was excellent. We have given the team a chance, there are three matches remaining to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he desires to carry on managing in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I will have a moment to reflect about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt the fear of 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 gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in many ways, interacting with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his team the moment he enters the role."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

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