Nancy Will Take Charge for Celtic This Week - Martin O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be on the Celtic touchline for this weekend's Scottish Premiership match versus Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been engaged in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost a week and now seems poised to finalize a deal.

O'Neill has held the role of caretaker manager for more than a month since the previous manager stepped down, achieving six victories out of seven matches, reducing Hearts' lead in the Scottish Premiership while also steering the team to League Cup final spot.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act of his return in charge.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he is to lead the team in the midweek league encounter against Dundee prior to Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the person who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I believed it was over last weekend, however there's some formalities yet to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been unreal," he added. "It's like a chapter of your life that makes you wonder 'did all of that really happen?' Am I happy to have taken it on? Without a doubt."

Should Celtic defeat their opponents and the Jambos defeat Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could lead his new club to summit of the Premiership with a victory in his debut game as manager.

"That's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It is going to be a difficult game of course and I wish him well. At the very least he's getting a side with some self-belief."

This self-belief comes from the interim manager's results on the field in the last month or so, where he has lost only once – a 3-1 loss at the Danish side in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players were then able to achieve their first victory on the road on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That was a tough game – a few weeks earlier they defeated Nottingham Forest, making it 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, however, the Feyenoord game was key for belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts during his spell as caretaker, O'Neill stated it has prompted consideration on if he would like to carry on in management going forward.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a little think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt a fear of failure – which is an ever-present major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as many other managers."

"I have learned a lot. I've got some great coaching staff working with me and it has served as a refresh for me in many ways, working with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of if he might remain at Celtic in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is entirely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to decide," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my input on matters, that is acceptable. If not, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he enters the role."

Presenter the interviewer ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday.

"Are you asking am I going to get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be stupid."