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As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently looks set to finalize a deal.

Martin O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for over a month since the previous manager departed, achieving six victories in seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top of 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 and 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's trip to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game in his second spell at the helm.

However, the interim boss disclosed he will manage the team in the midweek league encounter against Dens Park before Nancy takes over.

"He is the individual that will be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, however there remains formalities still to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"This has been like a dream," he added. "It's like a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I pleased to have taken it on? Absolutely."

If Celtic defeat their opponents while the Jambos see off Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide his new club to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his opening fixture in charge.

"It's a nice one for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but good luck to him. At least he inherits a team with some confidence."

This self-belief comes from the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the former Irish manager along with his squad then bounced back to achieve a first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to Midtjylland," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Forest, making it difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win on their patch was excellent. We've given the team an opportunity, with three games remaining to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam helped restore confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to consideration about whether he would like to continue in management in the future.

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

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is an ever-present major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job just as poorly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned much. I have had some excellent young coaches alongside me and it's been a new lease on life personally in many ways, working with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester, Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That decision is really for the new boss to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my input on things, that is acceptable. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the job."

Presenter the interviewer ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be ridiculous."