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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Premiership clash against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Parkhead side for nearly a week and now appears ready to complete a contract.

Martin O'Neill has held the role of temporary gaffer for more than four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six victories out of seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the team to a League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he believed Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his second stint at the helm.

However, O'Neill stated he will lead Celtic for the midweek league encounter with Dens Park prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He is the person set to be coming in," O'Neill said to the radio station. "I thought it was over last weekend, but there remains paperwork still to be dealt with. The Dundee game will definitely be my final game."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been like a dream," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Without a doubt."

If Celtic defeat Dundee while Hearts overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could potentially take his new club to the top of the table with a victory in his debut game in charge.

"That's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course but I wish him well. At the very least he takes over a team with a bit of confidence."

The team's morale is a result of the positive run on the field in the last five weeks, where he has lost only once – a three-one defeat at the Danish side in the Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad were then able to achieve their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three games left to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to consideration about whether he would like to continue managing going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think on everything after the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – which is always a major worry. I used to boast I could do the job just as poorly as many other managers."

"I've learned much. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a refresh for me in several respects, working with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is entirely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem either. It's very much his squad the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be stupid."