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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be in the Celtic dugout for Sunday's Premiership match versus Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost seven days and now seems poised to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over a month ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, notching six wins out of seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the team to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the trip to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act in his second spell in charge.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to manage Celtic for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person that will be arriving," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there remains formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It's been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops beat their opponents and Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership if they win during his debut game as manager.

"It's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a tough match of course and I wish him well. At the very least he's getting a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence stems from the interim manager's results during games in the last month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they defeated Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was terrific. We have given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game helped restore belief."

What Comes Next

When asked for his reflections on his spell as interim boss, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration on if he would like to carry on managing in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I will have a wee think on everything after Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff alongside me and it's been a refresh personally in several respects, dealing with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

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

"That is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. If he wants my advice on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the moment he steps into the breach."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be silly."