‘Let Wilfried Nancy cook and judge him at end of season’ – Thierry Henry urges patience from Celtic

Having left Major League Soccer (MLS) side Columbus Crew, Nancy’s first European managerial stint began with defeats at Europa League title rivals Hearts and Roma, before losing 3-1 to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final.

Their latest defeat at Tannadice left Celtic six points behind Premiership leaders Hearts, albeit with a game in hand.

“The thing is, it can be difficult to come in and try to impose your own philosophy and identity on a club – I don’t know because I haven’t watched too many games – by playing the other way,” Henry said.

“It’s too early right now and I think he can turn this around. He’s a great guy and has a great mind.”

“He’s not working right now and frankly, he doesn’t look very good. But he’s my friend, so I’ll be biased.”

“You don’t want any coach to lose his job that early. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

Nancy, who led Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the following year, was named MLS coach of the year in 2024.

He will look for his first points as Celtic manager when he hosts his side Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League on Sunday (15:00 GMT).