🔗 Share this article

Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been engaged in serious talks with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently appears ready to complete an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for more than four weeks since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six wins in seven games, reducing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

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

But, the interim boss disclosed he will manage Celtic in Wednesday's league encounter against Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He's the man set to be taking over," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I thought my time was up on Sunday, but there remains formalities still to be completed. Wednesday will assuredly be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could lead his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory during his first match in charge.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of the positive run during games over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 defeat away to the Danish side in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager and his players then bounced back to claim their first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We have given ourselves an opportunity, with three games left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his reflections on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration on if he desires to carry on in management in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I will have a wee think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in several respects, dealing with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my advice on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the role."

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

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be stupid."