Wilfried Nancy has lost his first four games as Celtic manager, prompting some onlookers to call for his sacking just weeks after taking over at the club.
Premier League legend Thierry Henry believes Celtic should wait until the end of the season to make a decision on new manager Wilfried Nancy. Former Columbus Crew manager Nancy has lost his first four games as Parkhead manager and there are already calls for his sacking.
Celtic, meanwhile, are thought to be prepared to stick with their new manager after losing to Dundee United in midweek. The defeat leaves the Bhoys six points behind league leaders Hearts, although they still have a game in hand.
Henry knows Nancy well, having worked with fellow French players at CF Montreal. Former No. 2 Nancy took full responsibility for Henry when he left the Major League Soccer team in 2021, and after impressing in Canada, moved south of the border and led the Crew to MLS Cup glory in 2023.
“I saw people calling for him to leave,” Henry told BBC Radio 5 Live. “As a coach myself, I think it’s too early to say that. Let him do his job, let him cook and maybe judge him at the end of the season.”
He insisted it would take time for the new manager to understand his approach, adding: “At the moment it’s not working and obviously it’s not looking good. But he’s a friend of mine so I’ll be biased. No coach wants to lose his job that quickly. I don’t understand that.”
read more: Everything you need to know about Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic future as three possible replacementsread more: Unlucky Celtic manager says he ‘knows Scottish football’ after nearly signing Carlisle
Nancy lost their first game against title rivals Hearts, before their Celtic team lost to Roma in the Europa League and St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final. Daizen Maeda’s early goal on Wednesday looked to be the start of his reign, but Dundee United hit back with two goals in four minutes of the second half.
Former Scotland international striker Chris Boyd said players needed to take responsibility following the turnaround. “I never thought for a second that Wilfried Nancy came on at half-time and changed things. They were fantastic in the first half,” he told Sky Sports.
Celtic’s next game is at home against Aberdeen. The Dons are undefeated in their last seven league games, but Thursday’s loss to Sparta Prague in the conference league meant they finished 35th out of 36 teams in the league.
The last time Celtic and Aberdeen met in the league was back in August, when goals from Benjamin Niren and Reo Hatate helped the Glasgow side claim three points. However, when the two clubs met in the Scottish Cup final last season, it was Aberdeen who came out on top, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Hampden Park.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
