Wilfried Nancy is getting to know the Celtic players, but these aren’t the only first impressions being made.
In fact, it seems that some in Scottish football have already made their minds up on him.
Since a 2-1 defeat to Hearts in his first game in charge at Celtic Park, plenty has been said about Nancy’s use of a tactics board in the dugout, as well as his post-match press conference.
In reality, the only thing that the new Celtic boss needs to address is results – a good place to start would be against Roma in the Europa League.
And speaking ahead of the encounter, Auston Trusty has been discussing his new manager, and how he has dealt with the noise.
What changes to you expect Wilfried Nancy to make against Roma?
Auston Trusty on Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy
Trusty admitted that the squad has suffered from having three different managers this season, saying that this has ‘unsettled’ them.
This isn’t a surprise, given that most expected Brendan Rodgers to see his contract out until the end of this season.
READ MORE: Baffled Si Ferry in disbelief at what Celtic did on Wilfried Nancy’s first day
And speaking ahead of the Roma tie, Trusty defended his new boss, giving insight on his positive messaging behind the scenes.
He said: “They wouldn’t have brought him here if he couldn’t absorb the pressure.
“With things that have been said since the past result, we haven’t heard one negative thing from him about it. It hasn’t really affected him in any kind of way. So that’s a good sign.
“He has focused on the positives. I’m the same way. I try to find the positives in all facets of life. No one wants to lose.
“No one wants to be in this situation. No one wants to lose a game we know we can win. We know we can beat Hearts.
“But he has tried to spin things in a positive way and tried to get players more on board with his messages. He’s only been here a week. That’s just what you have to do.
“To come to a club of this stature in the period of time where you have a first place game, you have a Europa League game against a good side and you have a cup final all in one week, it’s not the easiest task.
“It just takes time, as it would be for any human coming into this position. Winning solves it all, especially in this sport.
“A win will put us in the right direction and also put him in the right direction in terms of the fans who were maybe saying negative things about him. Again, winning solves everything.”
Celtic’s predicted XI against AS Roma
Auston Trusty’s Celtic season so far
Trusty joined Celtic for £6 million last summer, a key signing in preparation for Rodgers’ second season in the Champions League.
Many of his best performances came on the European stage, but domestically, he often found himself on the bench watching Liam Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers as the main partnership.
At the beginning of this season, he had struggles with his fitness, eventually leading Rodgers to start Dane Murray ahead of him in the 3-1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle, the day before his resignation.
Given that Trusty has been an indispensable member of the team since, this call hasn’t aged well.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
