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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be leading Celtic during this weekend's Scottish Premiership match versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been part of advanced negotiations with the Glasgow club for almost seven days and now seems poised to wrap up an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for over four weeks ever since the previous manager resigned, notching six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he expected Sunday's match at Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game in his return in charge.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he will oversee Celtic in the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I believed my time was up on Sunday, however there remains paperwork yet to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I've done it? Without a doubt."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to summit of the table with a victory in his debut game in charge.

"It's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It will be a challenging fixture of course and good luck to him. At the very least he takes over a team with a bit of confidence."

This self-belief is a result of the positive run during games in the last five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss at Midtjylland in the Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss and his players then bounced back to claim their first away win in Europe since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We've given the team an opportunity, with three games left to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his reflections on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration on if he desires to continue managing going forward.

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I will have a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a new lease on life personally in several respects, working with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

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