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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be leading Celtic during this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now seems poised to wrap up a deal.

O'Neill has held the role of interim boss for over four weeks since Brendan Rodgers departed, notching six victories out of seven games, cutting into the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club from 2000 to 2005, had already said he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game in his second spell in charge.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to lead Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter with Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He is the individual who will be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there's some paperwork still to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If the Hoops defeat their opponents while the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could lead his new club to summit of the Premiership with a victory during his first match in charge.

"That's a decent start for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A gentle introduction. It will be a difficult game of course but good luck to him. At least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

This self-belief stems from the positive run during games over the past five weeks, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat away to the Danish side in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish manager and his players were then able to secure a first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was terrific. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration on if he would like to continue in management going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I will have a moment to reflect about things after Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a big concern. I once joked I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it has served as a new lease on life for me in several respects, dealing with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is really for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay either. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be silly."