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

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy will be leading Celtic during Sunday's Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian.

The manager has been part of detailed discussions with the Glasgow club for nearly seven days and now appears ready to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for over a month ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, notching six victories in seven matches, narrowing the lead at the top in the league table and guiding the club to a League Cup place in the final.

The veteran manager, who previously managed Celtic from 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought the match at Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

Yet, O'Neill revealed he is to lead Celtic for the midweek league encounter against Dundee before Wilfried Nancy steps into the role.

"He's the individual that will be arriving," O'Neill told the radio station. "I believed it was over on Sunday, but there remains formalities yet to be sorted. Wednesday is certainly the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"It has been unreal," he added. "It feels like a chapter of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I pleased that I took the role? Most certainly."

Should Celtic beat their opponents while the Jambos overcome Killie on Wednesday, Nancy could potentially take his new club to summit of the table if they win in his opening fixture as manager.

"That's a nice one for Nancy against Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A good way to start. It will be a challenging fixture naturally and I wish him all the best. At least he takes over a side with some confidence."

That confidence stems from the interim manager's results during games in the last month or so, where he has suffered just one defeat – a 3-1 loss at Midtjylland in the European competition.

Nevertheless, the former Republic of Ireland national team boss and his players were then able to secure a first victory on the road in Europe since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

A Confidence Boost

"We were defeated by them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a few weeks before they mauled Nottingham Forest, so that was a challenge. To go to De Kuip and win on their patch was fantastic. We have given ourselves a chance, there are three matches remaining to attempt qualification, however, the Feyenoord game was key for confidence."

Future Ambitions

Upon being asked for his reflections on his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to consideration on if he desires to continue in management in the future.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I will have a wee think on everything following the match on Wednesday."

"It wasn't easy," he continued. "I felt the fear of failing – that is always a major worry. I once joked that I was capable of doing this job equally as badly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches working with me and it's been a new lease on life for me in many ways, dealing with young people every day."

Consultancy Role?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the former Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland boss stated this is completely the decision of Wilfried Nancy.

"That is solely for the new boss to decide," O'Neill stated. "He should be given full autonomy. If he wants my advice on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine either. It's very much his team the minute he enters the role."

Presenter Jim White ended the interview if O'Neill if he would be emotional or sentimental once the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Please don't be ridiculous."