Nancy Is Set to Lead for Celtic in the Coming Days - O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Premiership match against Hearts.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently seems poised to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than four weeks since the previous manager departed, achieving six victories out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead of the league table while also steering the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's trip to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his second stint at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in the midweek league encounter with Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man who will be coming in," O'Neill told the radio station. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there remains paperwork yet to be completed. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"This has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part of your life where you think 'did all of that really happen?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic beat their opponents while Hearts see off Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could guide Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win during his first match in charge.

"That's a good fixture for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence is a result of the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 defeat away to the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to secure a first away win on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, making it difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, with three games remaining to attempt qualification, but that Feyenoord game helped restore belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration on if he would like to carry on in management in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was apprehension about failing – which is always a big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some great young coaches working with me and it's been a refresh for me in several respects, working with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

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

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my advice on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his squad the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be ridiculous."