Wilfried Nancy Will Take Charge of the Glasgow Giants in the Coming Days - O'Neill

According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Premiership match against Hearts.

The manager has been involved in serious talks with Glasgow club for almost seven days and now looks set to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has served as caretaker manager for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, notching six victories out of seven matches, cutting into the lead at the top in the league table while also steering the club to Premier Sports Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 to 2005, had previously suggested he believed the visit to Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be the last game in his return in charge.

But, the interim boss disclosed he will manage the team in Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He's the individual that will be taking over," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I assumed my time was up on Sunday, however there's some formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I delighted to have taken it on? Absolutely."

Should the Hoops defeat Dundee and the Jambos see off Killie in midweek, Nancy could guide his new club to the top of the table if they win during his opening fixture as manager.

"It's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a difficult game of course but good luck to him. At the very least he takes over a side with a bit of confidence."

This self-belief stems from O'Neill's success on the field in the last month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Irish national team boss and his players subsequently managed to claim their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a tough game – a few weeks earlier they defeated Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory away from home was terrific. We've given the team an opportunity, there are three matches left to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts on his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration about whether he would like to carry on managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he admitted. "I will have a wee think on everything following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he continued. "There was the fear of failing – that is always a big concern. I once joked 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 young coaches alongside me and it's been a new lease on life for me in several respects, interacting with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding whether he will stay at Celtic as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Ireland boss stated this is entirely up to Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill said. "He must be given full autonomy. If he wants my advice on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that is okay at all. It becomes his team the minute he enters the role."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional once the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking am I going to cry?" O'Neill responded. "Don't be ridiculous."