🔗 Share this article

According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be leading Celtic during Sunday's Premiership clash versus Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been engaged in serious talks with Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently looks set to complete a deal.

O'Neill has been acting as temporary gaffer for over a month since the previous manager resigned, securing six victories out of seven games, narrowing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the team to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who once coached the club from 2000 to 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game of his return at the helm.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he is to oversee the team in the midweek league encounter with Dundee prior to Nancy takes over.

"He is the man set to be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there remains paperwork yet to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If the Hoops beat their opponents while Hearts overcome Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could guide his new club to the top of the table with a victory during his opening fixture as manager.

"It's a nice one for him versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and good luck to him. At least he inherits a side with some confidence."

That confidence is a result of O'Neill's success on the field over the past five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss at Midtjylland in the European competition.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager along with his squad subsequently managed to secure a first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks earlier they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, there are three games left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

What Comes Next

When asked for his thoughts during his spell as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to carry on managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a moment to reflect on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in many ways, interacting with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my input on matters, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It becomes his squad the minute he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be stupid."