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Per the words of caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be leading Celtic for this weekend's Scottish Premiership clash against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been part of advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for nearly seven days and now appears ready to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for more than four weeks since the previous manager resigned, notching six wins out of seven games, narrowing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the club to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he expected the trip to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game of his second spell in charge.

But, O'Neill stated he will oversee the team for the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual who will be taking over," O'Neill told the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, however there's some formalities yet to be dealt with. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide his new club to summit of the Premiership if they win in his first match in charge.

"That's a decent start for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course and I wish him all the best. At least he inherits a team with some confidence."

That confidence stems from the positive run on the field in the last five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 defeat at Midtjylland in the European competition.

However, the former Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to secure a first victory on the road on the continent since way back in 2021 with a win over the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to attempt qualification, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

Future Ambitions

When asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted consideration about whether he would like to carry on managing going forward.

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I will have a moment to reflect about things after Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was the fear of failing – which is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job just as poorly as many other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it's been a refresh personally in many ways, working with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is entirely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my opinion on matters, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem either. It becomes his squad the minute he steps into the job."

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

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