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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be on the Celtic touchline during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been engaged in serious talks with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now looks set to finalize an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six victories in seven games, reducing the lead at the top of the league table and guiding the club to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he thought the match at Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his return at the helm.

However, O'Neill stated he is to manage Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter against Dundee before Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the man who will be taking over," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought it was over last weekend, however there's some paperwork yet to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be the end for me."

An Unusual Period

"It has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a part of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I took the role? Absolutely."

If the Hoops defeat their opponents and Hearts see off Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss 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," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him well. At the very least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

The team's morale comes from the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a three-one defeat away to Midtjylland in the European competition.

However, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to achieve a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, with three matches left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam was key for belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to carry on managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a wee think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is always a big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some great young coaches alongside me and it has served as a reinvigoration personally in many ways, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

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

"That decision is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."