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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during this weekend's Scottish Premiership match against Hearts.

The head coach has been part of serious talks with the Parkhead side for almost seven days and now seems poised to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers departed, achieving six wins out of seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who once coached Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had previously suggested he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his return in charge.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he is to oversee the team in the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual who will be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there remains formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee while Hearts overcome Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could lead Celtic to the top of the table with a victory during his first match as manager.

"It's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him well. At the very least he inherits a side with a bit of self-belief."

The team's morale stems from the interim manager's results on the field over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss away to the Danish side in the European competition.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to claim a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was excellent. We have given the team an opportunity, there are three games left to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts on if he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a little think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I once joked I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a refresh for me in many ways, working with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Villa and Ireland manager says that is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my advice on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his squad the moment he steps into the role."

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

"Are you asking am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be silly."