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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be leading Celtic during Sunday's Premiership clash versus Hearts.

The head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and now appears ready to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than four weeks ever since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six wins in seven matches, cutting into Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club from 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his return in charge.

However, the interim boss disclosed he is to lead the team for Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man set to be taking over," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed it was over on Sunday, but there's some formalities still to be dealt with. Wednesday will assuredly be my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It feels like a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Most certainly."

If the Hoops beat Dundee and the Jambos overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could lead Celtic to the top of the table if they win in his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and good luck to him. At the very least he takes over a side with a bit of self-belief."

That confidence is a result of O'Neill's success on the field over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players then bounced back to secure their first away win in Europe since 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a few weeks earlier they defeated Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

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

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job just as poorly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a refresh personally in many ways, dealing with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It's very much his squad the minute he steps into the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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