Celtic cynics fired Wilfried Nancy MLS message as Alistair Johnston intel leaked

Nancy is expected to be confirmed as the next permanent Celtic manager in the next 48 hours, taking over from O’Neill, who has been caretaker boss since the end of October following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers.

French coach Nancy will arrive from Columbus Crew in the United States, where he led his side to the MLS Cup and the Leagues Cup. The 48-year-old has also managed CF Montreal in Canada - a former club of current Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston.

O’Neill will vacate the Celtic dugout after Wednesday’s Premiership match against Dundee at Parkhead and used his own journey, where he went from Wycombe Wanderers in the lower reaches of English football to winning titles in Scotland, as evidence against football snobbery towards the American leagues.

Asked if hiring a head coach from the MLS should be seen as a risk, O’Neill said: "I don't know. I genuinely really don't know. I don't know about the man. Ange [Postecoglou] came in and did wonderfully well, but people might have thought that was a risk. I think the first couple of games didn't get off to the best start, so he came right through that.

“I'm sure the board have obviously seen in the interviews his character and Alistair Johnston speaks remarkably highly of him. So that's encouraging as well.

"I think the MLS is improving. You're getting a quality of player there. I know [Leo] Messi is at the end of his career but he is out there playing. Each year the league definitely improves, they are getting big crowds at games. I wouldn't just make the judgment from that. If you've got an experience of managing players, go with it.

O’Neill recalls his own journey to Celtic

On his own coaching career, O’Neill continued: “I managed Wycombe and I had six months at Norwich. That was a jump for me. We were what was called the non-league Vauxhall Conference and then we got into the league and then we won again. So I was feeling pretty confident about myself at the time.

“Stepping up to Norwich, I never felt that was a problem. Typical, cantankerous me, arguing with the chairman at the time, I only lasted six months. And then I went to Leicester. Again, couldn't win early on, crowd baying for blood ... it's like yesterday for me. You have to win football matches. You win the crowd over and I had a great time at Leicester. But not to begin with. So all of those things can happen to a new manager coming into a football club.”

O’Neill has loved both his spells as Celtic boss - the longest and most successful by far coming between 2000 and 2005 - but admitted that the sheer size of the club took him aback.

"It was a dream for me to do that,” O’Neill added on being appointed manager of Celtic. “If I'd realised how strong Rangers were, I would have stayed at Leicester” That was a battle. But coming to manage Celtic, despite all the background history that I would have growing up in Ireland as Irish Catholic and all that type of stuff and whatever you thought about the club, I don't think that I had a real realisation of how big the club was. I should have done, but I didn't do."