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

Bodo/Glimt: How ‘team from a small town up north’ are slaying Europe’s elite in first Champions League campaign

Bodo/Glimt: How ‘team from a small town up north’ are slaying Europe’s elite in first Champions League campaign

The year that Inter last won the Champions League, their historic treble season of 2009-10, Bodo/Glimt finished sixth in the Norwegian second division...

Tottenham relegation battle: Ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara believes squad 'haven’t got the stomach for a fight'

Tottenham relegation battle: Ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O'Hara believes squad 'haven’t got the stomach for a fight'

Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has slammed the attitude and mentality of the Spurs squad and believes they “haven’t got the stomach for a relega...

Man Utd financial results: Club seeing benefits of redundancy programme as profits rise despite fall in revenues

Man Utd financial results: Club seeing benefits of redundancy programme as profits rise despite fall in revenues

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada said the club are reaping the "positive financial impact" of their redundancy programme after the lates...

Scottish football VAR Review: Scottish Premiership, League Cup, Scottish Cup decisions analysed

Scottish football VAR Review: Scottish Premiership, League Cup, Scottish Cup decisions analysed

The 'promising' but 'controversial' results from Man Utd's financial reportsChelsea legend Terry 'frustrated' at being overlooked for Blues caretaker...

Stoke City 2-2 Leicester City: Ben Wilmot's double earns point for Potters

Stoke City 2-2 Leicester City: Ben Wilmot's double earns point for Potters

Gary Rowett's first match in charge of Leicester ended as a 2-2 draw after Stoke captain Ben Wilmot completed his brace late on to secure a share of t...

Hearts 1-0 Falkirk: Islam Chesnokov strike moves hosts further clear at top of Scottish Premiership

Hearts 1-0 Falkirk: Islam Chesnokov strike moves hosts further clear at top of Scottish Premiership

Islam Chesnokov scored the only goal of the game as Hearts edged Falkirk 1-0 at Tynecastle to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership...