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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been engaged in detailed discussions with the Parkhead side for nearly seven days and currently looks set to wrap up a contract.

O'Neill has served as interim boss for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers departed, securing six victories out of seven games, narrowing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the Parkhead outfit to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he believed Sunday's visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act in his second stint in charge.

However, O'Neill stated he is to manage the team for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the man who will be arriving," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I believed my time was up on Sunday, but there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy that I've done it? Most certainly."

If the Hoops defeat their opponents while the Jambos defeat Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could lead Celtic to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his first match as manager.

"That's a good fixture for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At least he inherits a team with some self-belief."

The team's morale comes from the interim manager's results on the field over the past five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish manager and his players subsequently managed to secure a first away win in Europe since 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they defeated Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We have given the team a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his reflections on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted thoughts about whether he desires to continue managing going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a wee think about things after the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – which is always a big concern. I used to boast I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned much. I have had some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a refresh personally in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss says that is completely up to Nancy.

"That is really for Nancy to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay at all. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the breach."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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