Interim Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has confirmed that Wilfried Nancy will be appointed as the club's new manager this week. The move comes after a week of advanced talks between the two parties, and O'Neill expects Sunday's trip to Hibernian to be the last of his second stint at the club.
O'Neill, who has been in caretaker charge for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, has won six of seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding Celtic to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.
The 73-year-old, who had previously managed the club between 2000 and 2005, will manage Celtic for Wednesday's league match against Dundee before Nancy takes charge.
O'Neill revealed he will be in the dugout with Nancy on Sunday against Hearts. "He is the man that will be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport.
"He thought it was over on Sunday, but there's some paperwork still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game. It's been surreal. It's like a part of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Absolutely," O'Neill said.
O'Neill also hinted that he may stay at the club in a consultancy role, but this is up to Nancy and the new management team. "He should be given free rein. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the breach," O'Neill said.
O'Neill was asked if he would be emotional when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday, and replied jokingly, "Do you mean am I going to cry? Don't be stupid."
O'Neill, who has been in caretaker charge for more than a month since Brendan Rodgers resigned, has won six of seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership and guiding Celtic to a Premier Sports Cup final spot.
The 73-year-old, who had previously managed the club between 2000 and 2005, will manage Celtic for Wednesday's league match against Dundee before Nancy takes charge.
O'Neill revealed he will be in the dugout with Nancy on Sunday against Hearts. "He is the man that will be coming in," O'Neill told TalkSport.
"He thought it was over on Sunday, but there's some paperwork still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game. It's been surreal. It's like a part of your life where you think 'did that really happen?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Absolutely," O'Neill said.
O'Neill also hinted that he may stay at the club in a consultancy role, but this is up to Nancy and the new management team. "He should be given free rein. If he wants my opinion on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that's not a problem at all. It's very much his team the minute he steps into the breach," O'Neill said.
O'Neill was asked if he would be emotional when the full-time whistle blew on Wednesday, and replied jokingly, "Do you mean am I going to cry? Don't be stupid."
after all the ups and downs martin o'Neill has been an amazing caretaker gaffer but it's time for a new chapter and i think nancy's got what it takes let's get behind him and make this season one to remember 
Can u believe it? Our beloved Celtic is getting a new manager! Wilfried Nancy is gonna bring some fresh energy to the team 
. I'm actually kinda excited about this change, I think it's a good opportunity for both O'Neill and Nancy to learn from each other 
. And who knows, maybe O'Neill will stick around as a consultant 
, that would be awesome! He's been an amazing caretaker manager, so I trust he'll still give his two cents 
. And let's not forget, he's already got us into the Premier Sports Cup final, that's no small feat 
! Bring on Sunday and Wednesday, it's gonna be a wild ride 
!
!! i cant beleive hes goin 2 b caretaker 4 one last match w/ nancy 
. i no o'Neill is prob 1 of the best gaffers in scottish footy history 
, and his quotin' skills r on point lol "did that really happen?" 
!
. Can't wait for Sunday's match against Hearts and Wednesday's league game against Dundee 
️!
personally, i think nancy is gonna have a tough time stepping into o'Neill's shoes... especially after sunday's game against hearts, where they're probably gonna want to keep things going with some momentum 
. It's like, come on, just say what's happening or make a decision already! And now Wilfried Nancy is gonna take over as manager and O'Neill is outta there? It's not even been 2 months since he stepped in as caretaker... does that even count as a proper tenure lol 
. And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that he's staying on for one last game to watch Nancy get his debut and then just walking away like that? Like, what's the point of even having a farewell match? 
hope he can keep up with the pressure 
just got out of bed this morning only to see that wilfried nancy is literally taking over at celtic lol what a mess... martin o'Neill gonna manage them for like 2 more days and then he's gone? 
.
and now he's just gonna hand it over to some new guy without even being the boss anymore? 
.
. Anyway, hopefully Wilfried can bring some fresh energy to the club and turn it around 
weve gotta keep an eye on hearts too... 
73 years old and still bringing the heat! 
. Fingers crossed Nancy does him proud 