Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton believes that the pressure will be immediate for Wilfried Nancy, encouraging the new manager to seek insights from Martin O’Neill.
Nancy, 48, was appointed as the new head coach on a two-and-a-half year contract just before Celtic secured a 1-0 victory against Dundee on Wednesday evening.
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As the Frenchman, who has no prior management experience in Europe, prepares for his debut on Sunday against league leaders Hearts, he will also see Celtic take on Roma in the Europa League and face St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final shortly after.
Nancy succeeds Martin O’Neill, who had been in temporary charge following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation in late October.
Sutton told Sky Sports, “While Nancy will have his own vision and style of play, it would be unwise not to consult Martin O’Neill about the current state of the squad. There’s tremendous value in O’Neill’s vast experience.”
He continued, “Nancy must hit the ground running; the expectations are high as he takes over from O’Neill.”
“It’s crucial for Nancy in the coming 10 days. He faces the challenge of leading a team that has found a way to win, yet he will want to implement his own footballing style.”
“Celtic has seven matches leading up to the new year in quick succession, which makes it tough for Nancy to find time on the training pitch to instill his ideas. It’s going to be intriguing to see how he navigates this.”
“While he will have his approach, should he really alter what has been successful under O’Neill and his squad recently? That is the dilemma facing Wilfried Nancy.”