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According to caretaker manager Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be leading Celtic for this weekend's Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been engaged in serious talks with Glasgow club for nearly a week and currently looks set to finalize a contract.

Martin O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, notching six wins out of seven games, cutting into Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership and guiding the Parkhead outfit to League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed the club from 2000 and 2005, had previously suggested he believed the trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – would be his final act of his return at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he will lead the team for the midweek league encounter with Dens Park prior to Nancy assumes control.

"He is the person set to be arriving," O'Neill told TalkSport. "I believed my time was up last weekend, however there's some paperwork still to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be my last match."

An Unusual Period

"It has been like a dream," he added. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I took the role? Absolutely."

Should Celtic beat Dundee and the Jambos defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to the top of the table if they win in his debut game as manager.

"That's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a tough match of course but I wish him all the best. At the very least he inherits a team with some self-belief."

This self-belief stems from the interim manager's results during games in the last month or so, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss at the Danish side during Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss and his players subsequently managed to secure a first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated by Midtjylland," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a difficult match – a few weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was terrific. We've given the team a chance, there are three matches remaining to try to qualify, however, the victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has led to consideration about whether he desires to carry on managing going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things after Wednesday evening."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt apprehension about failing – which is always a major worry. I used to boast that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some great coaching staff working with me and it's been a new lease on life for me in several respects, interacting with young players every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Ireland manager stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That decision is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his squad the moment he steps into the job."

Presenter the interviewer concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional once the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

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