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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of detailed discussions with Parkhead side for almost seven days and now looks set to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers departed, achieving six victories out of seven matches, cutting into Hearts' lead in the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he thought Sunday's trip to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his return at the helm.

But, O'Neill stated he is to lead Celtic for Wednesday's league encounter with Dens Park prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man that will be coming in," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. Wednesday is certainly my final game."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been surreal," he added. "It's like a part of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee while Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could guide his new club to summit of the table with a victory in his debut game in charge.

"It's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture of course but good luck to him. At the very least he's getting a team full of confidence."

The team's morale is a result of the interim manager's results in matches over the past month or so, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 defeat away to the Danish side in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players were then able to achieve their first away win on the continent since 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost by them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they thrashed Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration on if he would like to continue managing in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a little think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was apprehension about failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I once joked I could do this job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some great young coaches working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration for me in many ways, working with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be allowed his own space. Should he desire my advice on things, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer concluded by asking by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

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