Football Dec 07, 2025

Martin O'Neill expects Celtic's trip to Hibs will be his last as interim boss ahead of Wilfried Nancy arrival

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Martin O'Neill expects Celtic's trip to Hibs will be his last as interim boss ahead of Wilfried Nancy arrival

Martin O'Neill expects Sunday's Scottish Premiership trip to Hibernian will be his last match as Celtic's interim manager.

The 73-year-old returned to the Celtic dugout in October, 20 years on from his first spell as Parkhead boss, after Brendan Rodgers' resignation.

One month on, and the Hoops are closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy.

"I was speaking to some of the board members last night, things are progressing very nicely, so I'm hoping that things will be in place by the beginning of next week," O'Neill told SportNews News when asked about Celtic's managerial hunt.

"It has been a whirlwind time. If you ask me deep down, have I loved it? Yeah, I probably have, [even if] the face doesn't always say that!

"Did I know that this was always going to be interim? Yeah, of course. Have I got used to the surroundings here at this minute? I'm not sure about that, really strange from my days way back at Celtic Park.

"I think the lovely thing about it is, the team, the players, they've really responded.

"The best example of that was against Feyenoord. We were a goal behind after 11 minutes, when we probably should have been one in front. Heads could have easily gone down, but no, they fought back, played some great, great stuff, and we won. We deserved to win a game in Holland, in the Europa League."

In the month that O'Neill has been in temporary charge, Celtic have won all four domestic matches, including a 3-1 win over Rangers to reach the League Cup final, plus that Europa League win at Feyenoord - the club's first away win in Europe since November 2021.

If Nancy is appointed in the coming days, his first match in charge should be at home to Dundee in the Premiership on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old started at CF Montreal where he won the Canadian Championship, before then helping Columbus Crew clinch the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup.

He also guided Crew to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final during his three years in the US, whilst also being named MLS Coach of the Year in 2004.

When asked what Nancy should expect at Celtic, O'Neill added: "Hopefully, he'll find a side that is bubbling with a bit of confidence, which is great, and that's a restoration of that there, I suppose, from previous weeks in that sense.

"He'll have a fair idea of what he's coming into, and he doesn't need any guidance from me."

Tags:

football news id:13476607

Share this article

Related Posts

Andoni Iraola: Crystal Palace step up efforts to hire Bournemouth boss on three-year deal - Paper Talk

Andoni Iraola: Crystal Palace step up efforts to hire Bournemouth boss on three-year deal - Paper Talk

The top stories and transfer rumours from Sunday's newspapers...Crystal Palace are stepping up their attempts to convince Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola...

Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Bradford City: Amario Cozier-Duberry scores first-leg winner for Trotters in League One play-off semi-final

Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Bradford City: Amario Cozier-Duberry scores first-leg winner for Trotters in League One play-off semi-final

Amario Cozier-Duberry's brilliant strike was enough for Bolton to earn a 1-0 first-leg win over Bradford in their League One play-off semi-final.The 2...

Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United: Michael Carrick's men move closer to securing third-placed finish

Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United: Michael Carrick's men move closer to securing third-placed finish

Manchester United missed the chance to secure third place in the Premier League as they were held 0-0 at Sunderland.Sunderland will feel as if they de...

Motherwell 1-1 Hearts: Jambos squander chance to move six points clear of Celtic in Scottish Premiership title race

Motherwell 1-1 Hearts: Jambos squander chance to move six points clear of Celtic in Scottish Premiership title race

Hearts squandered the chance to move six points clear of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race after being held to a 1-1 draw against Motherwe...

Middlesbrough 0-0 Southampton: Saints boss Tonda Eckert walks out of press conference after refusing to answer 'spygate' questions

Middlesbrough 0-0 Southampton: Saints boss Tonda Eckert walks out of press conference after refusing to answer 'spygate' questions

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg accused Southampton of cheating after Saints manager Tonda Eckert walked out of a tetchy post-match press conference w...

Celtic 3-1 Rangers: Daizen Maeda scores stunning overhead kick as Hoops keep title dreams alive with derby win

Celtic 3-1 Rangers: Daizen Maeda scores stunning overhead kick as Hoops keep title dreams alive with derby win

Daizen Maeda scored one of the great Old Firm goals as Celtic came from behind to beat Rangers 3-1 at Celtic Park and move to within a point of Hearts...