Celtic's next manager confirmed by Martin O'Neill

Cameron Smith

• 1 Dec 2025 10:30 CST
• 3 min read

News

Interim Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Wilfried Nancy will be appointed as the club’s new permanent manager before their Scottish Premiership fixture against Hearts on Sunday.

O’Neill, 73, has been in charge since the surprise resignation of Brendan Rodgers on 27 October and he has won six of his seven matches since returning to Celtic Park on a caretaker basis.

Despite speculation that O’Neill could be handed the job permanently, Celtic have been in advanced talks to appoint Columbus Crew boss Nancy as their new head coach for several weeks and a final agreement is close to being reached.

The 48-year-old was expected to be in the dugout for Celtic’s league match versus Dundee on Wednesday night, however O’Neill has confirmed that Nancy’s first game will come against Hearts at the weekend.

Martin O’Neill confirms Celtic managerial appointment

“He [Nancy] is the man that will be coming in,” O’Neill admitted to talkSPORT. “I 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 added: “It's a nice one for him [against Hearts], a nice introduction. It will be a difficult game of course and naturally I wish him well. At least he's getting a side with a bit of confidence.”

When asked if he would like to return to management in a permanent capacity, he replied: “I genuinely don't know. I will have a wee think about things after Wednesday evening.

“It wasn't easy. There was a fear of failure - that is always a big concern. I used to boast I could do the job equally as badly as a lot of other managers.

“I've learned a lot. I've got some great young coaches alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration of me in many ways, dealing with young people every day.”

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