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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be leading Celtic for this weekend's Scottish Premiership match versus Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in serious talks with Glasgow club for almost seven days and currently looks set to complete an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six wins out of seven games, narrowing the lead at the top in the league table while also steering the team to a League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club between 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he thought the visit to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act in his return at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he will oversee the team for the midweek league encounter with Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man set to be arriving," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I believed it was over last weekend, but there's some formalities still to be completed. The Dundee game is certainly my final game."

An Unusual Period

"It has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I took the role? Absolutely."

If Celtic defeat their opponents and Hearts overcome Killie in midweek, Nancy could potentially take his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory during his debut game in charge.

"That's a good fixture for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It will be a tough match naturally but good luck to him. At least he takes over a team with a bit of confidence."

That confidence is a result of the interim manager's results during games over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss at Midtjylland during European competition.

However, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players were then able to claim a first away win in Europe since way back in 2021 as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost by them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a difficult match – a couple of weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We have given the team an opportunity, with three games left to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his reflections during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts about whether he desires to continue managing in the future.

"I honestly am unsure," he admitted. "I'll take a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "There was the fear of failing – that is always a big concern. 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 have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in several respects, working with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland manager says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my advice on matters, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine either. It becomes his team the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be 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."