Wilfried Nancy Is Set to Lead for Celtic This Week - O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in serious talks with the Glasgow club for almost seven days and currently appears ready to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for more than a month since the previous manager resigned, achieving six wins out of seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club from 2000 and 2005, had already said he believed the trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act of his second spell at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he is to manage the team for the midweek Premiership match against Dundee prior to Nancy takes over.

"He's the man who will be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there remains formalities yet to be completed. The Dundee game will definitely be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"This has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Without a doubt."

If Celtic beat their opponents and the Jambos defeat Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could lead Celtic to summit of the table with a victory during his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a decent start for him against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him all the best. At the very least he's getting a side full of self-belief."

The team's morale is a result of the positive run in matches over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad then bounced back to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a difficult match – a couple of weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was terrific. We've given ourselves an opportunity, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts on his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration about whether he desires to carry on in management going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I'll take a moment to reflect on everything after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I once joked I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

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

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my advice on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his team the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be silly."