Wilfried Nancy Is Set to Lead for the Glasgow Giants This Week - Martin O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is expected to be in the Celtic dugout during Sunday's Scottish Premiership fixture versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been engaged in advanced negotiations with Glasgow club for almost seven days and now looks set to finalize a contract.

O'Neill has held the role of interim boss for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six wins in seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead of the league table while also steering the team to Premier Sports Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, a former boss of the club from 2000 and 2005, had previously suggested he expected Sunday's visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be the last game of his second spell in charge.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to lead Celtic for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dens Park prior to Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He is the individual who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there's some formalities still to be sorted. The Dundee game will assuredly be the end for me."

A Surreal Spell

"It has been unreal," O'Neill continued. "It resembles a chapter of your life where you think 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Most certainly."

If Celtic defeat their opponents and the Jambos see off Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could guide Celtic to summit of the Premiership if they win during his debut game in charge.

"It's a good fixture for him against Hearts," O'Neill said. "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 some self-belief."

This self-belief comes from the interim manager's results in matches over the past month or so, where he has lost only once – a three-one loss away to Midtjylland in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish national team boss and his players subsequently managed to claim their first away win on the continent since 2021 by defeating the Dutch club 3-1 last week.

Restoration of Confidence

"We lost by them," O'Neill said. "That was a hard fixture – a couple of weeks before they thrashed Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to De Kuip and win on their patch was fantastic. We have given the team a chance, with three games left to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of confidence."

What Comes Next

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

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I will have a little think about things following Wednesday evening."

"It was not simple," he added. "I felt the fear of failing – which is always a big concern. I once joked that I was capable of doing the job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I've learned much. I have had some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it has served as a refresh personally in several respects, dealing with young people daily."

Consultancy Role?

Regarding if he might remain with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Villa and Ireland boss stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That decision is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on matters, that is acceptable. If he doesn't, that is okay at all. It becomes his squad the minute he enters the breach."

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

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be ridiculous."