Martin O'Neill expects Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sign a short-term deal with Celtic over the weekend.
The 32-year-old former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder has been a free agent since leaving Turkish side Besiktas in August.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been training with Arsenal but O’Neill expects to add him to the Hoops squad for the rest of the season, when both parties will reassess.
After talking with the 35-times capped England international on Friday morning, the Celtic boss said: "I think he wants to come and I think he’s coming.
"I would have assumed he’s gotten a number of options. I think there was even talk about Arsenal – where he is training – might take him on because they might pick up a couple of injuries, so I’m delighted that he’s going to come, so he says.
"So I think he’s doing a medical (on Saturday) and all being well, I’m hoping that he signs on.
"This boy is here to try and play and try and get into the team and try and get as fit as possible as quickly as possible.
"I think it would be nice to have him here with the squad just for at least these couple of months."
Oxlade-Chamberlain will be signed too late to be included in Celtic’s squad for the Europa League ties against Stuttgart later this month.
Celtic were allowed three changes and O’Neill has selected Julian Araujo and Tomas Cvancara, the two earliest transfer window arrivals, plus new striker Junior Adamu.
"In terms of European football, I wanted to make changes to players who had been at the football club rather than waiting around," said O’Neill, whose side host Dundee in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fifth round on Saturday.
"I think there might be a bit of disappointment there from Alex’s viewpoint, wanting to show what he can do on the European stage. We had to press on.
"But if he can get up to speed, I do believe he’s got the desire. He wants to do well.
"He’s 32, which in this day and age is really no age whatsoever for players that look after themselves.
"How quickly we can do that will be up to both of us - us as a football club and he as a player."
