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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Premiership fixture against Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been involved in serious talks with Parkhead side for almost seven days and currently looks set to finalize a contract.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for over four weeks since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six victories out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already said he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game in his second stint at the helm.

But, the interim boss disclosed he is to oversee the team in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee before Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man who will be arriving," O'Neill told the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, however there's some formalities yet to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been unreal," he added. "It feels like a part in one's life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Most certainly."

If Celtic beat their opponents and the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide Celtic to summit of the table with a victory in his first match in charge.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It is going to be a difficult game naturally but I wish him all the best. At least he inherits a side full of self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of the interim manager's results in matches over the past month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the former Irish national team boss and his players then bounced back to secure a first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks before they mauled Forest, so that was difficult. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was terrific. We have given the team a chance, there are three games left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his reflections on his time as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration about whether he desires to carry on in management going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he said. "I will have a wee think on everything after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a refresh personally in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the former Leicester City, Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He must be allowed his own space. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the job."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be stupid."