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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during this weekend's Premiership match versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in detailed discussions with Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently appears ready to complete a contract.

O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over four weeks since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six wins out of seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who once coached Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he believed the trip to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game of his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park before Nancy takes over.

"He is the man that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought my time was up on Sunday, but there remains paperwork still to be dealt with. Wednesday will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Without a doubt."

Should the Hoops beat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could potentially take his new club to the top of the table with a victory during his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a tough match naturally but I wish him well. At the very least he inherits a team with a bit of confidence."

The team's morale is a result of the positive run during games over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss away to Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to secure their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was terrific. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I've got some great coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in several respects, interacting with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the role."

Presenter the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be stupid."