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

Lionel Messi: Argentina legend undecided on whether he will play at the 2026 World Cup, says Lionel Scaloni

Lionel Messi: Argentina legend undecided on whether he will play at the 2026 World Cup, says Lionel Scaloni

Lionel Messi is yet to decide whether he will play for Argentina at the World Cup this summer. Messi, 38, was named in the Argentina squad for the fri...

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson on enjoying Scotland high ahead of World Cup - 'It's kept me going at times'

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson on enjoying Scotland high ahead of World Cup - 'It's kept me going at times'

Defender Andy Robertson admits the high of Scotland's successful World Cup qualifying campaign has "kept me going" during a tough season at Liverpool....

England vs Uruguay: Thomas Tuchel to test options as questions linger on what Three Lions do without Harry Kane

England vs Uruguay: Thomas Tuchel to test options as questions linger on what Three Lions do without Harry Kane

On this day 11 years ago, Harry Kane came on as a substitute for Wayne Rooney at Wembley to make his England debut against Lithuania. Eighty seconds l...

WSL derby day bonanza as Arsenal host Spurs, Man City face Man Utd and Liverpool take on Everton while Chelsea need big boost

WSL derby day bonanza as Arsenal host Spurs, Man City face Man Utd and Liverpool take on Everton while Chelsea need big boost

Everton vs Liverpool - Saturday, kick-off 12pm, live on Your SiteLiverpool will be pleased to see a five-point cushion open up between themselves and...

Premier League fixtures live on Sky Sports: PL title hopefuls and Man Utd vs Liverpool to be shown live on Sky in May

Premier League fixtures live on Sky Sports: PL title hopefuls and Man Utd vs Liverpool to be shown live on Sky in May

Two Premier League matches involving Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as Liverpool's trip to Manchester United, are...

World Cup 2026: Train tickets between Boston and Gillette Stadium to almost quadruple in cost ahead of England and Scotland matches

World Cup 2026: Train tickets between Boston and Gillette Stadium to almost quadruple in cost ahead of England and Scotland matches

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intends to almost quadruple its usual prices for a round-trip train ticket from the centre of Bo...