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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Premiership fixture against Hearts.

The manager has been involved in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for almost seven days and now looks set to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six wins out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead in the league table while also steering the team to League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second stint in charge.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to lead the team in Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man that will be arriving," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I believed my time was up on Sunday, however there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will assuredly be my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been unreal," he added. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I took the role? Absolutely."

If Celtic beat Dundee and Hearts see off Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could lead Celtic to summit of the table with a victory during his opening fixture in charge.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a tough match of course and good luck to him. At the very least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

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

However, the former Irish manager and his players then bounced back to secure their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was fantastic. We have given ourselves a chance, with three matches left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

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

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a wee think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was not simple," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I once joked I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in many ways, working with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his team the moment he steps into the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."