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Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, the Columbus Crew head coach is slated to be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts.

Columbus Crew's manager has been engaged in serious talks with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and now looks set to complete a contract.

O'Neill has held the role of temporary gaffer for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, notching six victories in seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the league table and guiding the Parkhead outfit to League Cup final spot.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club between 2000 and 2005, had previously suggested he thought Sunday's trip to Hibernian – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game in his second spell at the helm.

However, O'Neill revealed he is to oversee Celtic for the midweek league encounter with Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy assumes control.

"He is the person set to be arriving," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I believed my time was up last weekend, however there remains formalities yet to be dealt with. Wednesday will assuredly be the end for me."

An Unusual Period

"It's been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter in one's life where you think 'did that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I've done it? Without a doubt."

If Celtic defeat their opponents while the Jambos defeat Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could potentially take Celtic to the top of the Premiership with a victory in his debut game as manager.

"It's a decent start for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A gentle introduction. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him well. At the very least he inherits a side full of confidence."

The team's morale stems from O'Neill's success on the field in the last five weeks, a period where he suffered just one defeat – a three-one loss at Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the ex- Republic of Ireland manager and his players subsequently managed to claim a first away win in Europe since 2021 as they beat the Dutch club 3-1 recently.

Restoration of Confidence

"We were defeated to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a hard fixture – a few weeks before they defeated Forest, so that was difficult. To go to Feyenoord and win away from home was fantastic. We have given ourselves an opportunity, with three matches left to try to qualify, however, the Feyenoord game helped restore confidence."

What Comes Next

When asked for his thoughts on his spell as caretaker, O'Neill says it has prompted thoughts about whether he would like to continue managing in the future.

"I genuinely am unsure," he said. "I'll take a wee think about things after Wednesday evening."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I used to boast I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a new lease on life personally in many ways, working with young players daily."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss stated this is completely up to Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for the new boss to make," O'Neill said. "He must be allowed his own space. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his team the minute he enters the job."

TalkSport host the interviewer concluded by asking if O'Neill if he would be emotional when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be silly."