Wilfried Nancy Is Set to Lead of Celtic in the Coming Days - Martin O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Parkhead side for almost a week and now looks set to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six victories in seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he thought the visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game in his second stint at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in Wednesday's Premiership match against Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He's the person who will be arriving," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I thought it was over on Sunday, but there's some paperwork yet to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

An Unusual Period

"It has been unreal," he added. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

If Celtic beat their opponents while the Jambos overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could lead Celtic to the top of the Premiership if they win during his debut game as manager.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a tough match of course but I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief comes from the positive run on the field in the last five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish manager and his players subsequently managed to secure a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was terrific. We have given ourselves a chance, with three matches left to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game helped restore belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his reflections during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration about whether he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do the job just as poorly as many other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in several respects, dealing with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland boss stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be allowed his own space. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his team the minute he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be stupid."