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According to interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach will be on the Celtic touchline for Sunday's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

Columbus Crew's manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and currently seems poised to complete a deal.

Martin O'Neill has held the role of interim boss for more than four weeks since the previous manager resigned, securing six wins in seven games, cutting into the lead at the top in the league table and guiding the team to a League Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he believed Sunday's match at Easter Road – which ended in a 2-1 win – was likely to be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill stated he is to oversee the team for the midweek league encounter against Dundee before Nancy steps into the role.

"He is the man set to be coming in," stated O'Neill to TalkSport. "I thought my time was up last weekend, however there's some formalities still to be sorted. Wednesday will assuredly be the end for me."

An Unusual Period

"It has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a part of your life that makes you wonder 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Absolutely."

If the Hoops defeat Dundee and Hearts defeat Kilmarnock on Wednesday, the incoming boss could potentially take his new club to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his first match as manager.

"That's a nice one for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It is going to be a tough match naturally and good luck to him. At least he takes over a team full of self-belief."

That confidence is a result of the interim manager's results during games over the past month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a three-one defeat away to Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss and his players then bounced back to claim their first victory on the road on the continent since 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That proved to be a hard fixture – a few weeks earlier they thrashed Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To go to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was terrific. We've given ourselves an opportunity, with three games remaining to attempt qualification, however, the victory in Rotterdam was key for confidence."

What Comes Next

When asked for his thoughts during his time as interim boss, O'Neill stated it has led to thoughts about whether he would like to continue in management in the future.

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

"It was not simple," he added. "There was the fear of failing – that is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some great coaching staff working with me and it has served as a reinvigoration for me in many ways, dealing with young players every day."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay at Celtic in a consultancy role, the former Leicester, Villa and Ireland manager says that is completely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That is really for the incoming manager to make," O'Neill stated. "He should be given free reign. If he wants my opinion on matters, that's fine. If not, that's not a problem at all. It becomes his squad the moment he enters the job."

TalkSport host Jim White ended the interview by asking O'Neill if he would be emotional when the full-time whistle blew in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill responded. "Please don't be ridiculous."