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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Scottish Premiership clash against Hearts.

The head coach has been engaged in serious talks with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and now looks set to wrap up an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has served as temporary gaffer for over four weeks ever since the previous manager departed, achieving six victories in seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought Sunday's trip to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his second spell in charge.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he is to manage Celtic in the midweek Premiership match with Dens Park prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He's the individual set to be taking over," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought it was over last weekend, but there remains formalities still to be completed. Wednesday will assuredly be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts see off Killie on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win in his first match in charge.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture of course but good luck to him. At the very least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence is a result of O'Neill's success during games in the last five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a three-one defeat at Midtjylland in the European competition.

However, the ex- Irish manager and his players subsequently managed to secure a first victory on the road in Europe since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was terrific. We have given the team an opportunity, with three games remaining to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was key for belief."

What Comes Next

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

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt apprehension about failing – that is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a refresh personally in many ways, interacting with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland boss says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my input on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."