🔗 Share this article

According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be leading Celtic for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match versus Hearts.

The head coach has been involved in serious talks with Parkhead side for almost a week and now looks set to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six wins out of seven games, reducing the lead at the top in the league table and guiding the team to a League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he thought Sunday's visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act in his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill stated he is to lead the team for Wednesday's Premiership match with Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual that will be coming in," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, however there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. Wednesday is certainly my last match."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to summit of the table if they win during his debut game in charge.

"It's a nice one for him against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course and I wish him well. At the very least he's getting a team with some confidence."

This self-belief is a result of the interim manager's results during games in the last five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to secure their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a few weeks before they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and win on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves a chance, with three matches remaining to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Future Ambitions

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

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I'll take a wee think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – which is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, dealing with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland boss stated this is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his squad the moment he steps into the job."

Presenter the interviewer concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."