🔗 Share this article

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be leading Celtic for this weekend's Premiership clash against Hearts.

The head coach has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently seems poised to complete a contract.

O'Neill has served as interim boss for over a month ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, achieving six victories in seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead in the league table while also steering the team to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who previously managed the club between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he believed Sunday's visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his second stint in charge.

But, O'Neill stated he is to manage the team in Wednesday's league encounter with Dundee before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the man set to be taking over," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought my time was up on Sunday, but there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It feels like a part of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while the Jambos see off Killie on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to the top of the table with a victory in his debut game as manager.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a tough match naturally and I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a side with a bit of self-belief."

The team's morale 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 Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad then bounced back to claim a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a difficult match – a few weeks before they thrashed Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was excellent. We have given ourselves an opportunity, there are three games left to attempt qualification, but that victory in Rotterdam helped restore belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he desires to carry on managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I will have a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was a fear of failure – that is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration personally in several respects, interacting with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my opinion on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the job."

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

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