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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is expected to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's head coach has been involved in detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently seems poised to finalize an agreement.

O'Neill has held the role of temporary gaffer for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six victories out of seven matches, reducing the lead at the top in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic between 2000 to 2005, had already said he expected Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be the last game in his return in charge.

However, O'Neill stated he will manage the team in the midweek Premiership match against Dens Park before Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He's the man who will be taking over," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there's some formalities still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"It's been like a dream," he added. "It's like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I happy that I took the role? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee and Hearts overcome Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory during his first match as manager.

"That'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 the very least he inherits a side full of confidence."

This self-belief stems from O'Neill's success on the field in the last month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 defeat at Midtjylland in the Europa League.

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

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory on their patch was fantastic. We've given the team an opportunity, with three games left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of confidence."

What Comes Next

Upon being asked for his reflections during his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue in management in the future.

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

"It wasn't easy," he added. "There was a fear of failure – which is an ever-present 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 much. I've got some excellent young coaches working with me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, dealing with young people every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding if he might remain with the club as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland manager says that is completely the decision of Nancy.

"That is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be allowed his own space. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his squad the minute he enters the role."

Presenter Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be silly."