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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Scottish Premiership clash against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for nearly seven days and currently appears ready to wrap up an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as caretaker manager for more than four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, notching six wins in seven matches, cutting into Hearts' lead in the league table while also steering the club to a Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who previously managed the club from 2000 to 2005, had already indicated he expected the visit to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his second spell in charge.

However, O'Neill stated he is to manage the team for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dundee before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person that will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I thought my time was up last weekend, but there's some paperwork yet to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been surreal," he added. "It resembles a part of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Most certainly."

If Celtic defeat their opponents while Hearts see off Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win in his opening fixture as manager.

"It's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture of course and good luck to him. At least he inherits a team full of confidence."

This self-belief stems from O'Neill's success on the field over the past month or so, a period where he lost only once – a 3-1 loss away to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish manager along with his squad subsequently managed to secure a first away win in Europe since 2021 with a win over Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We've given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue managing going forward.

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

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

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, interacting with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is really for the incoming manager to decide," O'Neill stated. "He must be given free reign. If he wants my advice on things, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine either. It becomes his team the minute he steps into the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional or sentimental when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Do you mean if I will cry?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."