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As stated by caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been involved in detailed discussions with the Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now appears ready to complete a deal.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for over four weeks since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six wins in seven games, reducing Hearts' lead in the league table while also steering the club to League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected Sunday's visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be the last game in his return at the helm.

However, O'Neill stated he is to manage Celtic in the midweek league encounter against Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the individual set to be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, but there's some paperwork still to be dealt with. The Dundee game is certainly the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a part of your life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Most certainly."

If the Hoops beat Dundee and the Jambos see off Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could lead Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win in his debut game as manager.

"It's a nice one for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A nice introduction. It will be a challenging fixture of course but I wish him well. At least he's getting a team with some confidence."

That confidence comes from the positive run during games over the past five weeks, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland manager and his players were then able to achieve a first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three games remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was key for belief."

Thoughts on the Future

Upon being asked for his reflections on his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration about whether he would like to carry on in management in the future.

"I honestly am unsure," he said. "I'll take a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "I felt the fear of failing – which is an ever-present big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff working with me and it's been a refresh personally 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 former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is really for Nancy to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my input on matters, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his team the moment he steps into the breach."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

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