Martin O’Neill is about to pass the baton on to the next Celtic manager.
The wait for Wilfried Nancy will seemingly end after the Celts’ fixture against Dundee, which will be a fitting farewell for a club legend in O’Neill.
O’Neill has overseen quite the turnaround in the side’s fortunes. He overtook a side which was eight points adrift of Hearts, after consecutive away defeats.
In only the Europa League defeat to Midtjylland has O’Neill failed to win in his seven matches in temporary charge. He has maintained a perfect domestic record, despite a tough run of fixtures.
Nancy has a tough act to follow – O’Neill has been discussing his predecessor ahead of the managerial changeover.
Martin O’Neill on discussion with Alistair Johnston over Wilfried Nancy to Celtic
Alistair Johnston is the only current Celtic player to have worked with Nancy previously.
He and Victor Wanyama were part of the Montreal side that Nancy guided to an all-time high league finish in 2022 – Wanyama has spoken highly of Nancy.
READ MORE: Wilfried Nancy ‘on his way to Glasgow’ as Celtic prepare for official unveiling
Nancy played a transformative role in Johnston’s career, bringing him to Montreal where he spent just a year before earning a move to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic.
Nancy spoke of his pride at seeing Johnston thrive in Glasgow, praising the ‘knowledgeable’ Hoops fans for noticing his strengths.
And in his final pre-match press conference, O’Neill admitted to his lack of knowledge on the Frenchman, but did refer to Johnston’s glowing reference of him.
He said: “I genuinely don’t know about the man [Nancy].
“Ange came in and did wonderfully well, but people might have thought that was a risk. He didn’t get off to the best start, but he came right through that.
“I’m sure the board have obviously seen his character in the interviews they have conducted with him and Alistair Johnston speaks remarkably highly of him. So that’s encouraging as well.
“I think the MLS is improving. You’re getting a good quality of player there.
“I know Messi is at the end of his career, but he is still 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.”
‘He also develops players, which is something that’s gone out the game.’
Wilfried Nancy’s managerial career
Nancy had to work hard to earn his role at Montreal. He had moved to the country a decade earlier, initially working at amateur level.
After assisting countryman Thierry Henry at the MLS side, he was given the top job and transformed the team’s fortunes. A historic second season earned him his move to Columbus.
Few saw the Crew as title contenders in his first year, but that was exactly what he did, with an innovative brand of possession-based football.
He won MLS Coach of the Year the following campaign, and has now been handed his golden ticket to a big club in Europe.
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