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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline during this weekend's Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been part of serious talks with Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently looks set to wrap up a contract.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six victories out of seven games, reducing the lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding the team to a League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached the club between 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected Sunday's visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game of his second spell in charge.

Yet, the interim boss disclosed he will lead Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter against Dens Park prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there's some formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be my final game."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Without a doubt."

Should Celtic defeat their opponents and the Jambos overcome Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take his new club to summit of the table with a victory during his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a nice one for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It is going to be a difficult game of course but I wish him well. At least he inherits a side full of self-belief."

This self-belief is a result of the interim manager's results on the field over the past five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland during European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish manager along with his squad subsequently managed to achieve their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was terrific. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three matches left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

Future Ambitions

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

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he added. "There was apprehension about failing – that is always a big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration for me in many ways, dealing with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem either. It becomes his team the minute he enters the breach."

Presenter the interviewer concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

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