Nancy Will Take Charge for Celtic in the Coming Days - O'Neill

Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been part of advanced negotiations with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now seems poised to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has served as temporary gaffer for more than a month ever since the previous manager departed, achieving six wins in seven matches, cutting into the lead at the top of the league table while also steering the team to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who once coached the club between 2000 and 2005, had already indicated he expected the trip to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second spell at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to lead the team in the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He's the individual who will be arriving," O'Neill told the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, however there's some formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Kilmarnock in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to summit of the table if they win in his first match in charge.

"That's a good fixture for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him all the best. At least he inherits a team with some confidence."

That confidence comes from O'Neill's success on the field over the past five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss away to Midtjylland in the European competition.

However, the former Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to achieve a first away win on the continent since 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks before they mauled Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We've given ourselves an opportunity, there are three games left to attempt qualification, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration on if he would like to continue in management going forward.

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a wee think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was a fear of failure – that is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in many ways, dealing with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given free reign. Should he desire my input on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his team the minute he enters the breach."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle blew in the Dundee game.

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